Saudi Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh passes away

The Royal Court announced Tuesday the passing of Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Asheikh, Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti and head of the Council of Senior Scholars, state-run Al-Ekhbariya reported.

His funeral prayer will be held at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh later on Tuesday.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has directed that an absentee funeral prayer be performed for him at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and all mosques across the Kingdom after the Asr prayer.
Al-Asheikh was appointed to the position in 1999. He served as the highest-ranking religious scholar in the kingdom, interpreting Sharia law and issuing fatwas on legal and societal matters.