Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan

Saleh bin Fawzan Al-Fawzan was born on September 28, 1935, in Ash-Shamasiyyah in the Al-Qassim Province of Saudi Arabia. His father died during his early childhood, and he was raised by his family. He learned the Quran and received his initial instruction in reading and writing from local mosque's imam, Ḥamūd ibn Sulaymān At-Tilāl, who later served as a judge in the town of Dariyah.

Al-Fawzan enrolled in public school in Ash-Shamasiyyah in 1950 and completed his education at Al-Faysaliyyah School in Buraydah in 1952. He later joined the Scholarly Institute in Buraydah when it opened in 1954, graduating in 1958. He joined the College of Sharīʿah in Riyadh and graduated in 1962. Al-Fawzan obtained a master's degree in fiqh with a thesis on Islamic inheritance law and a doctorate in the same field.

Career History

• Teacher at the Ma'had al-'Ilmī (Institute of Knowledge) at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh (post-doctorate appointment)
• Taught at Kullīyat al-Sharī'a (The College of Sharia)
• Taught in postgraduate program at Kullīyat Uṣūl al-Dīn (College of Fundamentals of Religion)
• Director of the Ma'had al-'Ālī li al-Qaḍā (Higher Institute of Judiciary)
• Member of Saudi Arabia's Council of Senior Scholars (appointed 2013)
• Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars (October 22, 2025–present)

Al-Fawzan is an imam, khatib and teacher at the Prince Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud Mosque in Riyadh. He participates in the radio program Nūr 'Alā al-Darb, answering questions on Islamic topics, and contributes to scholarly journals in research, studies, letters, and fatwas. He supervises academic theses at the master's and doctoral levels and teaches students of Islamic knowledge. He is also a member of the fiqh council in Mecca, affiliated with the Muslim World League. What Sheikh Saleh Al-Fawzan could bring to his role as Grand Mufti: Drawing on his decades of experience in Islamic jurisprudence, theological education, and senior religious advisory positions, he brings deep expertise in fiqh and inheritance law, demonstrated mentorship capabilities evident from supervising hundreds of graduate theses, and a track record of producing influential fatwas and publications that shape Islamic scholarship globally.