Riyadh: Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al Sheikh, the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, passed away on Monday at the age of 82.

Sheikh Abdulaziz, who has held the position since 1999, also served as Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and the General Presidency of Islamic Research and Ifta, with the rank of minister. He was the Kingdom’s third Grand Mufti, succeeding Sheikh Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Shaikh and Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Baz.

Funeral prayers (Salat al-Ghaib) will be offered for him after the Asr prayer at the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, and mosques across the Kingdom, reported the Gulf News. In Riyadh, the funeral prayer will take place at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque.

Born on November 30, 1943, in Mecca, Sheikh Abdulaziz memorised the Quran at a young age. Orphaned early in life, he lost his eyesight in his twenties but went on to pursue advanced studies in Sharia. He later became a preacher at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh and delivered sermons at the Nimrah Mosque in Arafat.

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He also authored several works in Islamic jurisprudence and was widely regarded as one of the Kingdom’s most influential scholars.

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