Position of religious authority in Saudi Arabia
The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia is the most senior and most influential Muslim religious and legal authority in Saudi Arabia . The holder of the position is appointed by the King. The Grand Mufti is the head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas .
Role
The Grand Mufti is the most senior religious authority in the country. His main role is to give opinions (fatwas ) on legal matters and on social affairs.[ 1] The Saudi court system is heavily influenced by the opinions of the Grand Mufti.[ 2]
History
The office was created in 1953 by King Abdul Aziz with the appointment of Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh .[ 3] Usually, the office of the Grand Mufti has been filled by a member of the Al ash-Sheikh (the descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ).[ 4] In fact, there has only ever been one Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia who was not an Al ash-Sheikh.[ 5] In 1969, King Faisal abolished the office of Grand Mufti and replaced it with a Ministry of Justice. The position was restored in 1993 with the appointment of Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah bin Baz .[ 6] The current mufti Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al Sheikh was appointed in 1999 by King Fahd after the death of Ibn Baz .
List of incumbents
See also
References
^ Baamir, Abdulrahman Yahya (2010). Shari'a Law in Commercial and Banking Arbitration . p. 28. ISBN 9781409403777 .
^ Baamir, Abdulrahman Yahya (2010). Shari'a Law in Commercial and Banking Arbitration . p. 29. ISBN 9781409403777 .
^ Hatina, Meir (2008). Guardians of faith in modern times: ʻulamaʼ in the Middle East . p. 221. ISBN 978-90-04-16953-1 .
^ Federal Research Division (2004). Saudi Arabia A Country Study . pp. 232–233. ISBN 978-1-4191-4621-3 .
^ AbuKhalil, Asʻad (2004). The battle for Saudi Arabia: royalty, fundamentalism, and global power . p. 66. ISBN 978-1-58322-610-0 .
^ Watson, Mark (2008). Prophets and princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the present . p. 328. ISBN 978-0-470-18257-4 .