Overview

• The Royal Court and Saudi Press Agency confirmed the passing on September 23 and said funeral prayers would be held after Asr at Riyadh’s Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque.
• King Salman directed absentee prayers to be performed at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, and in mosques across the Kingdom.
• King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman offered condolences to the late scholar’s family, the Saudi people, and the wider Muslim community.
• International messages of sympathy followed, including statements from Pakistan’s leadership and a condolence from India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
• Appointed Grand Mufti in 1999, he led the Council of Senior Scholars and other top bodies, with reports noting a minor discrepancy over his age at death (81 or 82).