HE Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
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HE Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh
Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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

Birth: 30 November 1943 (Age: 81)

Source of Influence: Preachers & Spiritual Guides, Scholarly

Influence: Grand Mufti of Saudi and the global network of Salafis

School of Thought: Salafi

Status: Featured in current year

Influence

As the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn AbĀ­dullah Aal Al-Sheikh has the highest position of religious authority in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is an Islamic scholar based in MakĀ­kah 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 MuhamĀ­mad ibn Abdul Wahhab (1703ā€“1792), the founder of Wahhabi and Salafi thought, and for 250 years have been closely associated and intermarried with the ruling Al-Saud family.

Head of Sunni Jurisprudential Committees: Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh is chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars, a scientific consultative commission composed of leading Sunni specialist scholars of shariah (Islamic law). He is recognized for his influence in enforcing a distinct view of Islamic tradition. He has publicly criticized Muslim televanĀ­gelists who encourage Muslims to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. He has also been robust in his conĀ­demnation of Turkish soap operas sweeping the Arab World, calling them distracting practices.

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 Qurā€™an and emphasize the need to strip away past interpretations that have become a part of Muslimsā€™ lives. The movement he leads is characterized by an authoritative stance on Islamic religious practice. He has described DAā€™ISH as ā€œevilā€ and called them ā€œthe number one enemy of Islamā€. In 2017, he received praise from an Israeli minister for labelling Hamas a terrorist organization.