Sheik Ibn Baz dies at age 90!

Saudi Arabia`s top religious leader, Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul-Aziz ibn Baz, died at dawn on Thursday, May 13, 1999 aged about 90, Saudi news media said. His funeral was held on Friday in the holy city of Mecca. Sheik Ibn Baz was a highly respected figure who has served as Saudi Arabia`s Grand Mufti for almost 30 years. Ibn Baz wielded much power in Saudi Arabia, a conservative state which applies Islamic law – only on the poor - and is home to two of Islam's holiest shrines.

Here is a brief synopsis about Sheik Ibn Baz:

Abu Abdullah Sheik Abdul-Aziz bin Abdullah bin Abdur-Rahman Aal-Baz was born in the city of Riyadh in Dhul-Hijjah 1330H. He memorized the Qur'an in his early age and then he acquired knowledge from many of the great scholars of the Kingdom. Some of his teachers were Sheik Muhammad bin Abdul-Latif Aal-Sheik, Sheik Salih bin Abdul-Aziz Aal-Sahikh and the eminent Sheik Muhammad bin Ibrahim Aal-Sheik who, in his time, was the Mufti of Saudi Arabia. Sheik ibn Baz accompanied the eminent Sheik and learned from him for about ten years. Thus he gained his religious education from the family of Imam Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahab. Afterwards Sheik ibn Baz was appointed as a Justice and he worked for fourteen years in the judiciary until he was deputed to the education faculty. He remained engaged in teaching for nine years at Riyadh Islamic Law College, Riyadh Religious Institute. Then he was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Islamic University, Al-Madinah; but shortly afterwards, he was made the Chancellor with all the administrative powers.

Later, he was appointed President of the General Presidency of Islamic Research, Ifta, Call and Propagation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Presently he is the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. He belongs to the Hanbali School of jurisprudence but his verdicts are based the arguments from Qur'an and Sunnah.

He is also the President of many Islamic Committees and Councils, the prominent among these are: Senior Scholars Committee of the Kingdom, Permanent Committee for Islamic and Educational Research, the Founding Committee of Muslim World League, World Supreme Council for Mosques, Islamic Jurisprudence Assembly Makkah; and the member of the Supreme Council of the Islamic University at Al-Madinah, and the Supreme Committee for Islamic Propagation.

Sheik Ibn Baz and the great Muslim Scholar Sheik Yusuf Al-Qardawy, had disagreed on many issues in regard to recent affairs in the Middle-East. The most important disagreement between them was about the Jewish/Arab peace treaty. Sheik Ibn Baz acknowledged the peace treaty between Arabs and Jews, while Sheik Yusuf Al-Qardawi rejected such treaty since it was based on Israel owning and controlling Muslim lands that were occupied viciously by the Jews, half a century ago.

Sheik Ibn Baz was great Muslim Imam and we ask the Almighty, Allah (swt) to have mercy on Ibn Baz's soul and to enter him Paradise…Ameen!

Arabic Paper