As the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Ab­dullah Aal Al-Sheikh has the highest position of religious authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is an Islamic scholar based in Mak­kah and has influence as a leading cleric of the expansive global movement of Salafi Muslims.

Salafi Lineage: The Aal Al-Sheikh family in Saudi Arabia traditionally controls the religious and justice establishments. They are descended from Muham­mad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703–1792), the founder of Wahhabi and Salafi thought, and for 250 years have been closely associated and intermarried with the ruling Al-Saud family.

Central Figure of Global Salafi Movement: As Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Sheikh is the leading religious figure of the Saudi-based network of Salafi Muslims. The rulings derived by Al-Sheikh are based heavily on a literal reading of the Qur’an and emphasise the need to strip away past interpretations that have become a part of Muslims’ lives. He has publicly criticised Muslim televan­gelists who encourage Muslims to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. He has also been robust in his con­demnation of Turkish soap operas sweeping the Arab World, calling them distracting practices. He has described DA’ISH as “evil” and called them “the number one enemy of Islam”. In 2017, he received praise from an Israeli minister for labelling Hamas a terrorist organization.

Changing Times: Religious authorities were instrumental in establishing the Saudi state in 1932, and have wielded immense power since then, although they were barred from commenting on politics without state permission. This influence is diminishing in light of the social changes being brought about through Vision 2030 and so their ability to influence society will have to evolve.