Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais

Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, has been appointed head of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques with the rank of a minister, a Royal Court announcement said yesterday.

Al-Sudais, a learned Islamic scholar, replaces Sheikh Saleh Al-Hosain, who had requested higher authorities to relieve him from the position. Sheikh Al-Sudais is known for his melodious Qur’an recitation that has inspired Muslim faithful across the world.

“We have accepted the request of Sheikh Saleh Al-Hosain to be relieved of his position as head of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques because of health reasons and appointed Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais in his place,” Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah said in a royal decree.

Born in 1382H in Riyadh, Al-Sudais memorized the whole Qur’an when he was 12 under the supervision of Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Firyan. He graduated from the Faculty of Shariah in Riyadh in 1403H.

Sheikh Saleh Al-Nasser, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh (present mufti), Sheikh Saleh Al-Atram, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jibrin and Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood are some of his teachers. He was also closely associated with former mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Binbaz.

In 1404H, Sheikh Al-Sudais was appointed imam and khateeb of the Grand Mosque. In 1408H he received his master’s degree from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. He worked as a lecturer at the College of Shariah in Umm Al-Qura University, which awarded him a doctorate degree in 1416H