Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baz

Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baz (عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز; 21 November 1912 – 13 May 1999), also known as Bin Baz or Ibn Baz, was a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar who served as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999.

According to French political scientist Gilles Kepel, ibn Baz was a "figurehead" whose "immense religious erudition and his reputation for intransigence" gave him prestige among the population of Saudi Arabia.

He "could reinforce the Saud family's policies through his influence with the masses of believers".

His death left the government without a comparable figure from amongst Salafi scholars to "fill his shoes".

He was a leading proponent of the Salafi school of thought.

Ibn Baz issued a fatwa authorising a wealth tax to support the Mujahideen during the anti-Soviet jihad.

His endorsement of In Defence of Muslim Lands, principally written by Abdullah Azzam, was a powerful influence in the successful call for jihad against the Soviet Union.

It is said to be the first official call for jihad by a nation state against another nation state in modern times.

Many of ibn Baz's views and rulings are considered controversial (both inside and outside Saudi Arabia), including those relating to cosmology, women's rights, Saudi Arabia's support for the Oslo Accords, and the acceptability of stationing non-Muslim troops in the Land of the Two Holy Mosques (Haramayn) during and after the Persian Gulf War.

Osama bin Laden bitterly condemned Ibn Baz and his rulings that supported Saudi Arabia's foreign policy and alliances with Western powers.

Ibn Baz was born in the city of Riyadh during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in 1912 to a family with a reputation for their interest in Islam.

His father died when he was only three.

By the time he was thirteen, he had begun working, selling clothing with his brother in a market.

He also took lessons in the Qur'an, hadith, fiqh, and tafsir, with the man who would precede him as the country's top religious official, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh.

In 1927, when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after a serious infection in his eyes.

By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and had become blind.

At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked a modern university system.

Ibn Baz received a traditional education in Islamic literature with Islamic scholars.

He held a number of posts and responsibilities, such as:

In 1966, when Ibn Baz was vice-president of the Islamic University of Medina, he wrote an article denouncing Riyadh University for teaching the "falsehood" that the Earth rotates and orbits the Sun.

In 1981 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam.

He was the only Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia not to come from the Al ash-Sheikh family.

Ibn Bāz wrote more than sixty works over the course of his career on subjects including the hadith, tafsir, Islamic inheritance jurisprudence, Tawheed, fiqh, salat, zakat, dawah, Hajj and Umrah.

He also authored a criticism of the concept of nationhood.

Ibn Bāz had undertaken a number of charitable and similar activities such as:

Ibn Bāz was a prolific speaker, both in public and privately at his mosque.

He also used to invite people after Isha prayer to share a meal with him.

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Ibn Bāz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence.

He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God.

During his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, he attempted to both legitimise the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with Salafi ideals.

Many criticised him for supporting the Saudi government when, after the Persian Gulf War, it muzzled or imprisoned those regarded as too critical of the government, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda.

His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students.

His wives and children lived in the Shumaysi neighbourhood of Riyadh in "a little cluster of modern two-story buildings".

Like all senior Saudi clerics, his home was a gift from a wealthy benefactor or a religious foundation for his distinguished religious work.

He was also criticised by hardline Salafi jihadists for supporting the decision to permit U.S. troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991.

On Thursday morning, 13 May 1999, Ibn Bāz died at the age of 86.

He was buried in Al Adl cemetery, Mecca.

King Fahd issued a decree appointing Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh as the new Grand Mufti after Ibn Bāz's death.

His obituary in The Independent said "His views and fatwas (religious rulings) were controversial, condemned by militants, liberals and progressives alike".