Saudi Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al‑Sheikh Dies

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al‑Sheikh, who led the Council of Senior Scholars after his 1999 appointment and headed the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, has died in Riyadh at about age 82, the Royal Court announced, without giving a cause. Funeral prayers will be held after Asr at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, with in‑absentia prayers ordered at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and in mosques across the kingdom. Blind from young adulthood and educated at Imam Mohammad bin Saud Islamic University, he was a prolific author and issuer of fatwas and Hajj sermons and was widely recognized for his scholarship and leadership in the Muslim world. Long identified with Saudi Arabia’s conservative Wahhabi tradition, he denounced extremist groups yet issued conservative rulings, and his influence has been seen as waning amid Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s social and cultural reforms. King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered condolences, and international leaders including India’s prime minister Narendra Modi and Bangladesh’s Muhammad Yunus also mourned. A successor to the grand mufti has not yet been named.