Saudi’s Grand Mufti passes away; Maldives to hold absentee funeral prayer

The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and the Head of the Council of Senior Scholars, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Al-Sheikh, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 82.

Abdulaziz, who was also the General President of Scholarly Research and Ifta, and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League, assumed the role of Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti in 1999, after the death of Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Baz.

The funeral prayer will be held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh after the Asr prayer.

The Maldivian Islamic Ministry has announced that an absentee funeral prayer will also be performed in Maldives, at the Islamic Center in Male’ City, after the Isha prayer.

Born on November 30, 1943, in Mecca, Abdulaziz was a prominent Islamic scholar and a leading figure in Saudi Arabia’s religious establishment. He was appointed as the Grand Mufti in 1999, after the death of Grand Mufti Abdulaziz bin Baz. Throughout his tenure, he played a pivotal role in shaping Saudi Arabia’s religious discourse and was known for his commitment of Islamic jurisprudence.

King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have extended their condolences to the family of Sheikh Abdulaziz, the Saudi people, and the wider Islamic world.