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Riyadh: Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has performed prayer for Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Muhammad Al-Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, who died at the age of 82.

The salatul Janaza was held at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.

In honour of the cleric who died on Tuesday, the first day of Rabiʿ al-Thani 1447 AH, corresponding to September 23, 2025, the Muslim World League (MWL) directed its Islamic centres and mosques worldwide to perform the absentee funeral prayer for the Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who was also the chairman of the Supreme Council of the MWL.

After the Asr prayer, the absentee Janazah Prayers (Salat Al Janazah Ghaib) were led by Sheikh Ali Hudaify at the Masjid Al Nabawi in Madinah and by Sheikh Bandar Baleelah at Masjid Al Haram, Makkah, respectively.

In a statement, the President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, expressed sadness over the passing of the top cleric.

He extended condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and the Crown Prince.

“And to the family of the deceased, the Saudi people, and the entire Muslim nation, praying to the Almighty – glorified be He – to envelop him in His boundless mercy, grant him residence in His vast paradise, and reward him with the best reward for his service to Islam and Muslims.

“His Excellency affirmed that with His Eminence’s passing, the Kingdom and the Islamic world have lost one of their most eminent scholars, who dedicated their lives to serving the religion, upholding the creed, promoting the path of moderation and balance, spreading Islamic knowledge, and contributing to guiding the nation toward unity and stability,” the statement highlighted.

Born on 3 Dhul-Hijjah 1362 AH, corresponding to November 30, 1943, in Makkah al-Mukarramah, Sheikh Abdulaziz grew up an orphan, losing his father at the tender age of eight.

He belonged to the family of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the 18th-century cleric whose alliance with the Al-Saud dynasty shaped the kingdom’s religious and political foundations.

He memorised the Qur’an in his youth under the tutelage of Sheikh Muhammad bin Sinan and pursued his studies in Sharia under the guidance of the former Grand Mufti, Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh.

Despite losing his eyesight in his twenties, his determination to seek knowledge never faltered.

He went on to study with eminent scholars, including Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Murshid, and Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Shathri.

He graduated in 1965 from the College of Sharia at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, specialising in Arabic and Islamic sciences.

Sheikh Abdulaziz began his career as a teacher at Imam al-Da’wah Institute in Riyadh before becoming a professor at the College of Sharia and the Higher Institute of Judiciary.

His academic service extended to supervising theses at Imam University and Umm al-Qura University, nurturing generations of scholars and students.

As a khatib, he served at several mosques, most prominently Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, and he was among the most renowned khatibs of Masjid Namirah in Arafat, where he addressed the Hujjaj during Hajj with sermons that resonated across the Islamic world.

He is recorded to have delivered 33 Hajj sermons and performed more than 40 Hajj in his lifetime.

He was regarded as the sixth khateeb (preacher) in the Saudi era at Masjid Namirah in Arafat.

He continued delivering the sermon of the Day of Arafah for thirty-five consecutive years, from the year 1982 until the year 2015, representing the longest period in the history of delivering the sermon at Masjid Namirah in Arafat.

His scholarly journey was marked with key positions that included being a member of the Council of Senior Scholars since 1987 and a deputy Grand Mufti from 1995 to 1999, when he became the third Grand Mufti in the history of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, succeeding Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.

He automatically became the President of Scholarly Research and Fatwa and Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars.

Throughout his tenure, he became a trusted voice of guidance for millions, issuing fatwas on creed, worship, and contemporary issues through platforms such as the famous programme Nur ʿala al-Darb.

His sermons were distinguished by their focus on Tawheed (monotheism) and glorifying the symbols of Allah, as well as calling to adherence to the Qur’an and Sunnah, warning against discord and divisions, and emphasising Muslim unity—until they became a reference for Arafah sermons, relied upon and used as a source in studies and Islamic legal research.

His published works included The Book of Allah and Its Great Status, The Reality of the Testimony that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, and The Compendium of Arafat Sermons, alongside numerous collections of fatwas on belief, purification, prayer, fasting, zakat, and Hajj.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh’s voice echoed from the pulpits of Arafat, guiding millions of pilgrims with words of admonition and faith.

His lifelong dedication to teaching, issuing fatwas, and serving Islam remains a legacy remembered not only in the Kingdom but across the Ummah.

Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh was buried in a simple grave in Al-Oud public cemetery, a 133,000 sqm resting place for monarchs and commoners alike.

Oud, meaning elder, was named after King Abdelaziz, the founder of modern-day Saudi Arabia, who is buried there in southern Riyadh.