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| Ibn Baz | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ibn Baz |
| Native name | ابن باز |
| Birth date | 21 November 1910 |
| Birth place | Riyadh, Emirate of Nejd and Hasa |
| Death date | 13 May 1999 |
| Death place | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Occupation | Islamic scholar, Grand Mufti |
| Alma mater | informal traditional study with scholars of Najd and Mecca |
| Notable works | fatwas and lectures |
| Influences | Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya, Ibn al-Qayyim |
| Influenced | Mohammad Qutb, Salman al-Ouda, Abdurrahman al-Barrak |
Ibn Baz was a prominent 20th-century Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar who served as Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and head of the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas. He was influential in shaping contemporary Salafism, contributing to religious education, judicial pronouncements, and the institutionalization of Hanbali-inspired authority within the Council of Senior Scholars. His rulings affected debates involving Muslim Brotherhood, Wahhabism, and interactions with states such as United States, Pakistan, and Egypt.
Born in Riyadh during the late period of the Emirate of Nejd and Hasa, he lost his sight in childhood and pursued traditional Islamic learning through memorization and study circles. He studied with regional scholars associated with the Najd scholarly network and performed studies in Mecca and Medina, engaging with teachers linked to the legacy of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn al-Qayyim. His formative milieu included exposure to local ulema connected to families and institutions of Riyadh and to religious currents interacting with the evolving Saudi state under leaders like Abdulaziz Ibn Saud and later Faisal of Saudi Arabia.
He rose through roles in Saudi religious institutions, holding positions in the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs and eventually becoming Grand Mufti, appointed by the Saudi monarchy and linked to bodies such as the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Issuing Fatwas and the Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia). His institutional authority intersected with the Saudi legal system and the administration of Islamic courts in Saudi Arabia, influencing policy under monarchs including Faisal of Saudi Arabia, Khalid of Saudi Arabia, Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. He lectured at major mosques in Mecca and delivered sermons that connected to the scholarly traditions represented by Hanbali madhhab figures and revivalists inspired by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
He issued fatwas addressing issues ranging from ritual practice to geopolitics, often grounded in a literalist reading informed by predecessors like Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim. His rulings touched on matters involving the permissibility of resistance and cooperation with non-Muslim powers such as United States forces during the Gulf War and positions on issues related to Shia Islam, Sufism, and veneration practices contested by Salafi movements. He addressed modern institutions including television, banking and insurance by reference to classical texts and the jurisprudence associated with the Hanbali school. He articulated positions on jihad and defensive war drawing on historical precedents linked to conflicts like the Crusades and debates shaped by modern actors such as Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda, often distinguishing between organized insurgency and state-sanctioned defense.
His tenure provoked disputes domestically and internationally, with critics from intellectuals tied to Egyptian Al-Azhar University, Azhar scholars and reformist currents challenging his rigidist stances. Human rights organizations, critics from Iran and Shia communities, and Western commentators questioned his positions on religious minorities and modernity. Debates involved scholars such as Abdelhamid Kishk and movements like the Muslim Brotherhood, and responses from institutions including UN-linked human rights bodies. Controversial fatwas concerning the Gulf War deployment of US-led coalition troops, his pronouncements on takfir and apostasy, and positions on women's participation elicited responses from academics at Oxford University, Harvard University, and regional universities such as King Saud University.
He maintained a cooperative relationship with the Saudi monarchy and conservative elites, shaping state religious policy and advising rulers through bodies like the Council of Senior Scholars (Saudi Arabia). His views influenced Saudi engagements with foreign policy actors including Pakistan, Sudan, and Gulf Cooperation Council members such as Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. His counsel informed religious legitimation of government action during crises such as the Gulf War and domestic reforms under rulers like Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Internationally, his fatwas were cited in debates among Islamist movements, impacting discourse within networks linked to madrassas in Pakistan, charitable organizations like Islamic Relief, and transnational Salafi circles.
His legacy is prominent within contemporary Salafism and the institutional religious establishment of Saudi Arabia, influencing clerical education at institutions including Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and the propagation of Saudi-funded missionary activities via organizations such as Muslim World League and World Muslim League. Admirers cite continuity with scholars like Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and defenders linked to figures such as Salman al-Ouda, while critics include reformists and Shia intellectuals in Lebanon, Iran, and Iraq. His impact persists in curricula, fatwa literature, and the global diffusion of Saudi religious materials through networks that engage institutions like Al-Azhar and think tanks in Washington, D.C. and London.
His corpus comprises collections of fatwas, sermons, and lectures, compiled in volumes circulated by Saudi publishing houses and printed editions used in madrasas and mosques across the Middle East and beyond. Works are distributed by organizations such as the King Abdulaziz Foundation and libraries in Mecca and Riyadh, and translated into multiple languages for audiences in Indonesia, Pakistan, Nigeria, United Kingdom, and United States. His writings engage classical sources from jurists including Ibn Taymiyya and commentators of the Hanbali tradition and are cited in contemporary scholarly debates at universities like Aligarh Muslim University and research centers in Cairo.
Category:Saudi Arabian Islamic scholars Category:1910 births Category:1999 deaths