Senior Saudi cleric named to give Arafat sermon
Bin Saeed has to his name more than 30 books and research papers
Cairo: Saudi authorities have named a prominent scholar to deliver next week’s sermon on Arafat Day, which marks the climax of Islamic Hajj pilgrimage.
Yousuf bin Saeed, a member of Saudi Arabia’s highest Islamic authority, the Council of Senior Scholars, has been selected to deliver the Arafat sermon next Tuesday to Muslim congregations as the numbers of pilgrims this year are set to return to their pre-epidemic levels.
The imam and preacher of the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, Maher Al Muaiqly, has been picked as a reserve preacher for the Arafat sermon.
Bin Saeed memorised the holy Quran at an early age and studied at the hands of pre-eminent Saudi clerics including the kingdom’s incumbent and ex-muftis.
A holder of a BA degree from the Faculty of Origins of Religion in Riyadh, he has also obtained MA and doctorate degrees at the department of faith and modern creeds.
He has to his name more than 30 books and research papers.
The leading scholar also served as deputy minister for Islamic affairs in Saudi Arabia for four years and taught as well as held various positions at the Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University.
He has supervised and debated several dissertations.
Moreover, he taught at the Grand Mosque in Mecca and Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, Islam’s two holiest site. He has also delivered sermons for more than 20 years at several mosques.
Saudi Arabia has said there will be no limits on the numbers of pilgrims from around the world for the upcoming Hajj season, reversing earlier restrictions prompted by the global pandemic.
Around 2.5 million Muslims used to attend Hajj annually in the pre-pandemic times.
The Arafat sermon is usually broadcast live around the world.
