Manama: Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti is in hospital after he reportedly fell and “injured” his pelvis.
Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, who as Grand Mufti is the head of the powerful Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Fatwas, stumbled and fell at his home on Saturday, local news site Sabq reported.
Shaikh Abdul Aziz, 73, was taken to the Security Forces Hospital in the capital Riyadh. Sources close to the patient did not explain the nature of the injury to the pelvis, but said that his condition was stable and that he would need to rest for seven days.
Shaikh Abdul Aziz, a member of one of Saudi Arabia’s leading religious families, was appointed Grand Mufti in 1999, replacing Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baaz, who died in May, as the highest religious authority in the kingdom.
The Grand Mufti, who has regularly denounced suicide attacks, said in December that “killing oneself is a grave crime and a grave sin.”
“Those who kill themselves with explosives are criminals who are hastening their way to hell,” he said.
