Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh
Muḥammad ibn ʾIbrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb Al Shaykh Al-Tamīmī (1890– 3 December 1969), was a Saudi Arabian religious scholar who served as the first Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1953 until his death in 1969. He is recognized as being amongst the forefront of Salafi theologians in history.
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh | |
|---|---|
| Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia | |
| In office 1953–1969 | |
| Monarchs | King Abdulaziz King Saud King Faisal |
| Succeeded by | Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (Position abolished; restored in 1993) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1890 Riyadh, Emirate of Jabal Shammar (present day Saudi Arabia) |
| Died | 3 December 1969 (aged 78–79) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
Background
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh was born in Riyadh in 1890 to the noted family of Saudi religious scholars, the Al ash-Sheikh, descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.[1] His father was Sheikh Ibrahim ibn Abdul Latif Al As Sheikh, and his mother was Jawharah bint Abdul Aziz Al Hilali. He had a very religious upbringing. He memorized Quran in an early age. He lost his sight around the year 1328 AH, and he knew to read and write before losing sight.[2]
Rebellion of King Faisal
As Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia he gave a fatwa legitimising the armed rebellion of future King Faisal against his brother King Saud.[3]
Role as Grand Mufti
As Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to 1969,[4] he dominated Saudi religious policy in the 1950s and 1960s.[5][6] He died in 1969.[2]
Other roles
He served as president of the Constituent Council of the Muslim World League. He was one of the closest advisors of King Faisal having significant effects on the latter's role in the Arab world.[7]
Family
Muhammad was the father of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh,[6] Saudi minister of justice from 1975 to 1990[8][9] and Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh,[10] Saudi minister of justice from 1993 to 2009.[8]
He was the first cousin of King Faisal whose mother, Tarfa bin Abdullah, was from the Al Sheikh family.[11]
References
- Muhammad Al Atawneh (2010). Wahhābī Islam Facing the Challenges of Modernity. Leiden, Boston: BRILL. p. 6. ISBN 978-90-04-18469-5.
- David Dean Commins (2006). The Wahhabi mission and Saudi Arabia. p. 210. ISBN 1-84511-080-3.
- Bligh, Alexander (1985). "The Saudi Religious Elite (Ulama) as Participant in the Political System of the Kingdom". International Journal of Middle East Studies. 17 (1): 37–50. doi:10.1017/S0020743800028750. ISSN 0020-7438. JSTOR 163308. S2CID 154565116.
- Meir Hatina (2008). Guardians of faith in modern times: ʻulamaʼ in the Middle East. BRILL. p. 221. ISBN 978-90-04-16953-1.
- Camron Michael Amin; Benjamin C. Fortna; Elizabeth Brown Frierson (2006). The modern Middle East: a sourcebook for history. OUP Oxford. p. 270. ISBN 978-0-19-926209-0. He was one of King Faisal's closest advisers and had decisively intervened in the dispute between Faisal and King Saud, which led to the latter's abdication.
- Dore Gold (2004). Hatred's kingdom: how Saudi Arabia supports the new global terrorism. Regnery. pp. 76, 80–81. ISBN 978-0-89526-061-1.
- Nawaf E. Obaid (September 1999). "The Power of Saudi Arabia's Islamic Leaders". Middle East Quarterly. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- Abdulrahman Yahya Baamir (2010). Shari'a Law in Commercial and Banking Arbitration. Ashgate. p. 29 (n. 87). ISBN 978-1-4094-0377-7.
- David E. Long (1976). Saudi Arabia. Sage Publications. p. 41. ISBN 0-8039-0660-9.; Who's who in Saudi Arabia 1983-1984, Volume 3. Jeddah: Tihama. 1984. p. 32.
- "H.E Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al-Sheikh". Majlis ash-Shura, Government of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 15 December 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- Nabil Mouline (2014). The Clerics of Islam. Religious Authority and Political Power in Saudi Arabia. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press. p. 121. doi:10.12987/yale/9780300178906.001.0001. ISBN 9780300178906.