Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has appointed eminent Saudi Islamic scholar Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan as Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia in the rank of a minister. This is in line with a recommendation from Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.

According to the royal decree, issued by the King, Sheikh Al-Fawzan has also been appointed chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and head of the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta.

Sheikh Al-Fawzan succeeds late Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh who passed away on September 23.

Sheikh Al-Fawzan was serving as a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta. He also served as a member of the Islamic Fiqh Council, affiliated to the Muslim World League, and member of the Supervisory Committee for Preachers during Hajj.

Born in 1935 in Al-Qassim, Al-Fawzan had his school education in Buraidah. He obtained his master’s and doctoral degrees in fiqh from the College of Shariah in Riyadh. Later, he was appointed the director of the Higher Institute of Judiciary. In 1992, he was appointed member of the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta until to date. Sheikh Al-Fawzan is the author of several books. He conducted several radio programs, including the popular Nur Ala Al-Darb program.