By Peter Omopo
Riyadh, September 23, 2025 — The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdulaziz, has died at the age of 82, the Royal Court confirmed on Tuesday morning.
Born in Mecca in November 1943, Sheikh Abdulaziz rose to become one of the Kingdom’s most respected clerics and a globally recognized Islamic authority. Over the course of his career, he served as head of the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta, and as a member of the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League.
He was the third cleric to hold the revered position of Grand Mufti, following Sheikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh and Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.
In its condolence message, the Royal Court said both King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had extended heartfelt sympathies to Sheikh Abdulaziz’s family, the Saudi people, and Muslims worldwide.
“With his passing, the Kingdom and the Islamic world have lost a distinguished scholar who made significant contributions to the service of science, Islam, and Muslims,” the statement read.
Funeral prayers are scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, after the Asr prayer. King Salman has also directed that funeral rites be observed simultaneously at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and in mosques across the Kingdom.
The Grand Mufti, appointed by the King, is regarded as Saudi Arabia’s highest-ranking religious authority, responsible for guiding Islamic scholarship and issuing fatwas through the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research.
