Riyadh, Oct 24 (V7N) — Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan bin Abdullah Al-Fawzan has been appointed as the new Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. The royal decree was issued by King Salman, following the recommendation of Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The announcement was made on Wednesday through the Saudi Press Agency.

According to the decree, Sheikh Al-Fawzan will serve not only as the Grand Mufti but also as the Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and head of the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta — the kingdom’s highest religious authority.

The Grand Mufti holds a ministerial rank in Saudi Arabia, responsible for issuing fatwas and guiding the country’s religious affairs. Sheikh Al-Fawzan succeeds Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Sheikh, who passed away on September 23. Sheikh Abdulaziz had been appointed by King Fahd in 1999 and served as Grand Mufti for more than two decades.

Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan was born in 1935 in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qassim province. He completed his early education in Buraidah before earning graduate and doctoral degrees from the College of Sharia in Riyadh. He later served as Director of the Higher Institute of Judiciary in Saudi Arabia.

In 1992, he became a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta. Over his long career, Sheikh Al-Fawzan has authored numerous books and is regarded as one of the kingdom’s most respected Islamic scholars.

His appointment comes at a time when Saudi Arabia is navigating social and religious transformations under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 reform program. Analysts believe Sheikh Al-Fawzan’s leadership will play a key role in maintaining the balance between traditional Islamic scholarship and the country’s modernization efforts.

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