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{{Short description|Saudi Islamic scholar (1912–1999)}}
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{{Infobox religious biography
{{Cleanup|date=July 2007}}
| children = {{plainlist|
{{Infobox_Philosopher
*Ahmad
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*Abd Allah
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*Abd al-Rahman
| region = Saudi Arabian scholar
*Khalid}}
| era = Modern era
| influenced = {{ubl|]|]|]|]|]<ref>{{cite news|date=2015-12-25|title=اغتيال قائد جيش الإسلام زهران علوش بغارة يعتقد أنها روسية|url=http://www.anapress.net/sawtdimashq/ar/articles/%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A/297329363271183/%D8%A7%D8%BA%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9/|newspaper=أنا برس|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202025232/http://www.anapress.net/sawtdimashq/ar/articles/%D8%B9%D8%B3%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%8A/297329363271183/%D8%A7%D8%BA%D8%AA%D9%8A%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AF-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%B2%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%88%D8%B4-%D8%A8%D8%BA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%8A%D8%B9%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%AF-%D8%A3%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9/|archive-date=2017-02-02|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=January 28, 2016|title=الشيخ المجاهد "زهران علوش".. سيرة قائد طلب الشهادة فنالها|url=http://islamicsham.org/print/2700|newspaper=هيئة الشام الإسلامية|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202033044/http://islamicsham.org/print/2700|archive-date=February 2, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
| color = #B0C4DE
}}
| teacher = ]<ref>{{Cite web |title=إجازة الشيخ محمد شفيع للشيخ عبدالعزيز في الحديث وثنائه عليه |url=https://binbaz.org.sa/speeches/239/%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%B2%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%85%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B9-%D9%84%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B2-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%AB-%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%89%D9%87-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%87 |access-date=2022-11-21 |website=binbaz.org.sa |language=ar}}</ref>
| influences = {{ubl|]|]|Badi' ud-Din Shah al-Rashidi||
]}}
Ibn Qayyim
| awards = * National Order of Merit of Mauritania<ref name=who53>''Who's Who in Saudi Arabia 1978-1979'', pg. 53. Part of the ] series. Edited by M. Samir Sarhan. ] and ]: ] and ]. {{ISBN|978-0-905118-28-4}}</ref>
* ] for Service to Islam<ref name=who123>''Who's Who in the Arab World 1990-1991'', pg. 123. Part of the Who's Who series. Edited by Gabriel M. Bustros. ]: Publitec Publications, 10th ed. {{ISBN|978-2-903188-07-8}}</ref>
| movement = ],{{sfnp|Kepel|2004|p=186}} ]
| denomination = ]
| module0 = {{Infobox officeholder
|embed=yes
| office = ]
| monarch = ]
| term_end = 13 May 1999
| term_start = 1993
| predecessor = ]
| successor = ]}}
| region = ]
| era = Modern
| nationality = Saudi
| resting_place = ], ]
| death_place = ], Saudi Arabia
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1999|05|13|1912|11|21|df=y}}
| birth_place = ], ] (present day ])
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|11|21|df=y}}
| father = Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman
| native_name = ابن باز
| native_name_lang = Arabic
| name = Ibn Baz
}}
'''Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah Al Baz''' ({{langx|ar|عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل باز|translit=ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh Āl Bāz}}; 21 November 1912 – 13 May 1999), known as '''Ibn Baz''' or '''Bin Baz''',<ref>{{cite book |last=Heffelfinger |first=Charles |title=Radical Islam In America: Salafism's Journey from Arabia to the West |year= 2011|isbn=978-1-59797-302-1 |publisher=Potomac Books (University of Nebraska Press) |page=8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7O-Rm_8P2_MC&dq=%22known+as+Bin+Baz%22+%22ibn+Baz%22&pg=PA8|quote=Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (more commonly known as Bin Baz)...}}</ref> was a Saudi Islamic scholar who served as the ] from 1993 until his death in 1999.


According to French political scientist ], Ibn Baz was a "figurehead" whose "immense religious erudition and his reputation for intransigence" gave him prestige among the population of Saudi Arabia. He "could reinforce the Saud family's policies through his influence with the masses of believers".
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Ibn Baz issued a fatwa authorising a ] to support the ] during the ]. His endorsement of ''In Defence of Muslim Lands'', principally written by ], was a powerful influence in the successful call for jihad against the ]. It is said to be the first official call for jihad by a ] against another nation state in modern times.
| image_name =
| image_caption = Sheikh Abdulaziz Bin Baz


==Early life==
<!-- Information -->
{{Salafi|Founders}}
| name = '''Ibn Baaz''' |
Ibn Baz was born in the city of ] during the month of ] in 1912<ref>{{cite web|author=Khalid Al Mubarak|access-date=18 October 2021|title=Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz
| birth = ] ] <small>{{dubious}}</small>
|url=http://www.theguardian.com/news/1999/may/25/guardianobituaries2|date=25 May 1999|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> to a family with a reputation for their interest in ]. His father died when he was only three. By the time he was thirteen, he had begun working, selling clothing with his brother in a market. He also took lessons in the ], ], ], and ],<ref name=who53/> with the man who would precede him as the country's top religious official, ].<ref name=who123/>
| death = ] ] <small>{{dubious}}</small>
| school_tradition = ]
| main_interests =


In 1927, when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after a serious infection in his eyes. By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and had become blind.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz2.asp|title=Main Page |access-date=23 July 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828224121/http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz2.asp|archive-date=28 August 2007}}</ref><ref>"Ad-Da'wah Ilallah wa Akhlaaqud-Du'aat" (pp. 37–43)</ref> At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked a modern university system. Ibn Baz received a traditional education in ] with Islamic scholars.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828173420/http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz3.asp|date=28 August 2007}}</ref><ref>"Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, pp. 9–10</ref>
| influences = <small>] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}</small>
| influenced = <small>] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}<br>] {{Fact|date=February 2007}}</small>
| notable_ideas =
}}
'''Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz''' ({{ArB|عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز}} {{transl|ar|ALA|''‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Bāz''}}) was the ] of ] from ] until his death in ].


==Biography== ==Career==
He held a number of posts and responsibilities, such as:<ref>"Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint 'Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, Pages 10–11</ref>
===His Childhood and Youth===
* Judge of ] district upon the recommendation of Muhammad ibn 'Abdul-Lateef Al ash-Shaikh from 1938 to 1951.<ref name=who53/><ref name=who123/>
Shaikh ibn Baaz was born in the city of ] during the month of ], 1330AH to a family with a reputation for their interest in ]. His father died when he was only three, placing a big responsibility on his mother to raise him. When asked about his childhood, the sheikh said: “my father died when I was three years old, and I only had my mother who took care of me and educated me encouraging me to learn more about ]; she also died when I was twenty six.” By the time he was thirteen he had began working, selling clothing with his brother in a market. Despite the fact that he helped a great deal in supporting his family, he still found time to study the ], ], ], and ]. In 1346AH, when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after being afflicted with a serious infection in his eyes. By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and become blind. <ref>http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz2.asp</ref>
* In 1992 he was appointed Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and Head of the ] and was granted presidency of the administration for ].
* President and member of the Constituent Assembly of the ].<ref name=who53/><ref name=who123/>


In 1981 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam.<ref name=gazette>''Saudi Gazette'', 14 May 1999</ref><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070828033557/http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz4.asp|date=28 August 2007}}</ref> He was the only Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia not to come from the ] family.<ref>{{cite book|author =As'Ad Abukhalil|title=The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power
===Education===
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XnGylvMjcG8C&pg=PA66|date=2011|publisher=Seven Stories Press|isbn=978-1-60980-173-1|page=66}}</ref>
At that time, ] lacked the complex university system of today. However, Shaikh ibn Baaz managed to learn a great deal through his constant reading of ] as well as his accompaniment to different scholars whom he learned from. These include:<ref>http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz3.asp</ref> <ref>"Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint 'Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, Page 9-10</ref>
*Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin Fayreej whom he studied the Qura'n with at an early age and memorized it and read it to him.
*Shaykh Muhammad ibn Zayd, the cheif judge in the Eastern region.
*Shaykh Raashid ibn Saalih al-Khunayn.
*Shaykh 'Abdul-Lateef ibn Muhammad ash-Shudayyid.
*Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Kimar
*Shaykh 'Abdullaah bin Qu'ood.
*Shaykh Saalih ibn Hussayn al-'Iraaqee .
*Shaykh 'Abdul-Rahmaan al- Warraaq.
*The Mufti of his time, Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraheem ibn 'Abd al-Lateef ash-Shaikh. Ibn Baaz studied under this scholar for ten years. He had studied all the branches of Sharee'ah from him during the years 1347H until 1357H.
*Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Lateef ibn Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Hassan ibn ash-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab.
*Shaykh Sa’ad ibn Hamad ibn Ateeq, the chief judge of Riyadh at the time.
*Shaykh Hammad ibn Farris, under whom ibn Baaz studied the field of Arabic grammar.
*Shaykh Sa’ad Waqqaas al-Bukhaaree, one of Mecca’s most renowned scholars in ].
*Shaykh Saalih ibn 'Abdul-Azeez ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan ibn Hasan ibn Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abdul-Wahhaab, one of the judges in the city of Riyadh.


Ibn Bāz wrote more than sixty works over the course of his career on subjects including the hadith, tafsir, ], ], fiqh, ], zakat, ], ] and ].<ref name=gazette/>
===Death===
On Thursday morning ], ] and at the age of ninety, Shaikh ibn Baaz died. The next day, following Friday prayer, ], ], ], and hundreds of thousands of people performed funeral prayers at the ] in ].<ref>http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz8.asp</ref>


He also authored a criticism of the concept of ].<ref>{{Cite web|date=29 January 2014|title=Evils of Nationalism: Shaykh Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz|url=https://abdurrahman.org/2014/01/29/evilsofnationalism/|access-date=1 April 2021|website=AbdurRahman.Org|language=en}}</ref><ref name=who53/><ref name=who123/>
===Succession===
King Fahd issued a decree appointing ] as the new Grand Mufti after Bin Baaz's death.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/345082.stm</ref>


==Career== ===Activism===
Ibn Bāz had undertaken a number of charitable and similar activities such as:<ref name=gazette/>
===Job Titles===
* His support for ] organisations and Islamic centres in many parts of the world.
The Shaikh had assumed a number of posts and responsibilities such as:<ref>"Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint 'Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, Page 10-11</ref>
* The popular radio program, Nurun Ala Darb ("light on the path"), in which he discussed current issues and answered questions from listeners as well as providing fatwa if needed.
*The judge of ] district upon the recommendation of Shaikh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Lateef ash-Shaikh from 1357AH to 1371AH.
* Ibn Baz urged donations be given to the ] in Afghanistan, who in the late 1990s were seen by many Saudis as "pure, young Salafi warriors" fighting against destructive warlords.{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=198|ps=: the Afghan jihad was being fought over again, with pure, young Salafi warriors. Abdul Aziz bin Baz .... a particular enthusiast. The man who had sponsored and protected Juhayman now urged the holy cause of the Afghan students with the ulema, and more potently still with the senior princes to whom he had private access. It is not known -- it will never be known -- which of the family of Abdul Aziz privately parted with money at the venerable shiekh's request, but what was pocket money to them could easily have bought a fleet of pickup trucks for the Taliban.}}
*Held a teaching position in Riyadh at the Ma'had al-'Ilmee in 1371AH
* Ibn Baz issued fatwas against the Soviets.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150420084024/http://www.qsep.com/modules.php?name=ilm&d_op=article&sid=500|date=20 April 2015}}. Ibn Baz Fatwas, Volume 27, Book on Da'wah. An interview by the Pakistani magazine: Takbir.</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Christopher M. Blanchard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J0WWUQBl2PwC&pg=PA27 |title=Saudi Arabia: Background and U. S. Relations |publisher=DIANE Publishing Company |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4379-2838-9 |page=27}}</ref>
*In 1371AH after spending fourteen years in al-Kharj as a judge, he was transferred to Riyadh where he became a teacher in the Riyadh Institute of Science and taught in the Faculty of Sharia from 1373AH to 1381AH.
*In 1381AH he was then appointed Vice President, and later President, of the ].
*In 1390 AH he became the Chancellor of the University upon the death of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ibraaheem Aal ash-Shaykh and he remained chancellor until 1395 AH.
*In 1395AH a royal decree named him Chairman of the Department of Scientific Research and Ifta with the rank of Minister.
*In 1413AH he was appointed Grand Mufti of the Saudi Arabia and Head of the Council of Senior Scholars and was granted presidency of the administration for scientific research and legal rulings.
*President of the ].
*President and member of the Constituent Assembly of the World Muslim League.
*President of the Higher World League Council.
*President of the Islaamic Fiqh Assembly based in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
*Member of the Higher Council of the Islamic University of Madeenah.
*Member of the Higher Committee for Islaamic Da'wah in Saudi Arabia.


Ibn Bāz was a prolific speaker, both in public and privately at his ]. He also used to invite people after ] prayer to share a meal with him.<ref
Over the years, he held a large number of positions as president or member of various ]ic councils and committees, and chaired a number of conferences both within ] and overseas, in addition to writing a great number of books in different fields and issuing a large body of ]. In 1402AH he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to ]. <ref name=gazette>] 14 May 1999</ref> <ref>http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/aboutbinbaz4.asp</ref>
name=gazette/>


Ibn Bāz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/Display.asp?f=bz01531.htm|title=العنف يضر بالدعوة|date=June 4, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040604194925/http://www.bin-baz.org.sa/Display.asp?f=bz01531.htm |archive-date=2004-06-04 }}</ref> He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016121943/http://bin-baz.org.sa/Display.asp?f=bz01709.htm |date=16 October 2007}}</ref>
===Achievements===
Shaikh ibn Baaz had undertaken a number of charitable and other activities such as: <ref name=gazette/>
* His endless support for ] organizations and ]ic centers all over the world.
* The establishment and supervision of schools for teaching the ].
* The foundation of an organization that facilitates marriage for ] youth.
* The popular radio program, Nurun AlaDarb ("light on the path"), in which he discussed many current issues and answered questions from listeners as well as providing ] if needed.


During his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, he attempted to both legitimise the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with ] ideals. Many criticised him for supporting the Saudi government when, after the ], it muzzled or imprisoned those regarded as too critical of the government, such as ] and ]. His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students.
===Lectures and Lessons===
Shaikh ibn Baaz was a prolific speaker both in public and privately at his ]. Like his books, his lectures and sermons were numerous and revolved frequently around the situation of the ]. In addition, much of his time was devoted to the lessons he gave after ] prayer, teaching during the day, meeting delegates from ] countries and sitting with people after ] prayer to provide counseling and advice on personal matters. He also used to invite people after ] prayer to share a meal with him.<ref
name=gazette/>


==Controversy== ==Personal life==
His wives and children lived in the Shumaysi neighbourhood of ] in "a little cluster of modern two-story buildings". Like all senior Saudi clerics, his home was a gift from a wealthy benefactor or a religious foundation for his distinguished religious work.{{sfn|Lacey|2009|page=131}}
{{Original research|section}}
Shaikh ibn Baaz first developed notoriety and a reputation for integrity in the ] when he served time in prison as punishment for contradicting government policy with a ] declaring the employment of non-]s in the ] forbidden by ]. Ironically, roughly fifty years later, in a seeming reversal, he issued another ] allowing the deployment of non-] troops on ]n soil to defend the Kingdom from the ]i army.<ref>Kepel, ''The War for Muslim Minds, 2004, p.184</ref>


==Death==
===Flat earth alegations ===
On Thursday morning, 13 May 1999, Ibn Bāz died at the age of 86. He was buried in ], Mecca.<ref>{{cite news|title=Al Adl: One of Makkah's oldest cemeteries|url=http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120618127307|access-date=15 August 2012|newspaper=Saudi Gazette|date=18 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728183846/http://saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentid=20120618127307|archive-date=28 July 2013}}</ref>
Shaikh ibn Baaz is best known in the ] from a report claiming he issued a ] declaring: "The earth is flat. Whoever claims it is round is an atheist deserving of punishment."<ref>Youssef M. Ibrahim, "Muslim Edicts Take on New Force," ''The New York
Times,'' February 12, 1995, Sunday, p. 14</ref> He described this flat earth-report as "a pure lie"<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://thetruereligion.org/modules/wfsection/article.php?articleid=258
| title = Polemic Rebuttals: Who Says the Earth is Flat ? Refuting Lies Against Ibn Baaz
| accessmonthday=27 November | accessyear=2006
| author = Shakiel Humayun
| coauthors = Abu Aadam
| date = ] 2004
| publisher = thetruereligion.org
}}</ref>.
Several ] leaders argued that, in fact, he maintained not that the ] is flat but that it is a stationary globe that the sun and moon revolve around, using ] as evidence. (Discussion of the issues can be found in ]).


King Fahd issued a decree appointing ] as the new Grand Mufti after Ibn Bāz's death.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112055100/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/345082.stm |date=12 November 2012}}, BBC News, May 16, 1999.</ref>
===Gulf War===
In his career as the ] of ], he attempted to both legitimize the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of ] in line with ] ideals. Many criticized him for supporting the ] government when, after the ], it muzzled or imprisoned some ] scholars regarded as too critical of the government.


==Controversies==
When Shaikh ibn Baaz died in ] the loss of "his erudition and reputation for intransigence" was so great the ] government was said to have "found itself staring into a vacuum" unable to find a figure able to "fill bin Baaz's shoes."<ref>Kepel, ''The War for Muslim Minds, 2004, p.186</ref> His influence on the ] movement was large, and most of the prominent judges and religious scholars of ] today are former students of his.
His obituary in '']'' said "His views and fatwas (religious rulings) were controversial, condemned by militants, liberals and progressives alike".<ref name= Independent>{{cite news|title=Obituary: Sheikh 'Abdul 'Aziz bin Baz|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-sheikh-abdul-aziz-bin-baz-1093400.html|newspaper=The Independent|date=14 May 1999|access-date=8 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307041452/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-sheikh-abdul-aziz-bin-baz-1093400.html|archive-date=7 March 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> He was also criticised by hardline ] for supporting the decision to permit U.S. troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jarret M. Brachman|title=Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D_L5iDSTt9EC&pg=PA27|year=2008|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-0-203-89505-4|page=27}}</ref>


===Osama bin Laden=== ===Cosmology===
{{See also|Orbit of the Sun|Geocentric model|Astronomy in Islam|Apostasy in Islam}}
Shaikh ibn Baaz was the subject of ]'s first public pronouncement intended for the general ] public. This open letter condescendingly criticized him for endorsing the ] between the ] and ] government.<ref>''Messages to the World, The Statements of Osama Bin Laden,'' Edited and Introduced by Bruce Lawrence, Translated by James Howarth, Verso, 2005</ref> Ibn Baz defended his decision to endorse the Oslo Accords by citing the ], saying that a peace treaty with non-Muslims has historical precedent if it can avoid the loss of life.<ref>al-Muslimoon Magazine, 21st ] ]</ref> <ref>at-Tawheed Magazine, vol. 23, Issue #10</ref> This criticism, coupled with bin Laden's making of ] of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, resulted in Shaikh ibn Baaz declaring ] a ].<ref>http://www.troid.org/articles/manhaj/innovation/thefitnahoftakfeer/binlaadin.pdf</ref>
In 1966, when Ibn Baz was vice-president of the ], he wrote an article denouncing ] for teaching the "falsehood" that the Earth rotates and orbits the Sun.<ref name= watson>{{cite book|last=Weston|first=Mark|title=Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EEEFsVYLko4C&pg=PA196|year=2008|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-0-470-18257-4|page=196}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Sheikh Bin Baz |newspaper=The Economist|date=20 May 1999 |url=http://www.economist.com/node/207229 |access-date=January 25, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201021456/http://www.economist.com/node/207229 |archive-date=December 1, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> In his article, Ibn Baz claimed that the Sun orbited the Earth,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ende|first=Werner|title=Religion, Politik und Literatur in Saudi-Arabien. Der geistige Hintergrund der religiösen und kulturpolitischen Situation (III)|journal=Orient: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Politik und Wirtschaft des Orients' |volume=23|issue=3|pages =382ff|date=1982}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The House of Saud |last=Holden |first=David |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-03-043731-1 |page= |publisher=Holt, Rinehart, and Winston |url=https://archive.org/details/houseofsaudriser00hold/page/262 }}</ref><ref name= Sayeed82>{{cite book |title=Western Dominance and Political Islam: Challenge and Response |last=Sayeed |first=Khalid B. |year=1994 |isbn=978-0-7914-2265-6 |page=82|publisher=SUNY Press }}</ref> and that "the earth is fixed and stable, spread out by God for mankind and made a bed and cradle for them, fixed down by mountains lest it shake".<ref name= Sayeed82/> As a result of the publication of his first article, Ibn Baz was ridiculed by Egyptian journalists as an example of Saudi primitiveness,<ref name=Miller>{{cite book |title=God has Ninety-Nine Names |last=Miller |first=Judith |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-4391-2941-8 |pages=114, 493 |publisher=Simon and Schuster }}</ref> and ] was reportedly so angered by the first article that he ordered the destruction of every unsold copy of the two papers that had published it.<ref name= watson/><ref name= Sayeed82/> In 1982 Ibn Baz published a book, ''Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ'' ("Treatise on the textual and rational proofs of the rotation of the sun and the motionlessness of the earth and the possibility of ascension to other planets"). In it, he republished the 1966 article, together with a second article on the same subject written later in 1966,<ref name="Al-adilla" /> and repeated his belief that the Sun orbited the Earth.{{sfn|Ruthven|2004|page=148}} In 1985, he changed his mind concerning the rotation of the Earth (and, according to Lacey, ceased to assert its flatness), when ] returned home after a week aboard the Space Shuttle ] to tell him that he had seen the Earth rotate.<ref name= watson/>{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=89–90, 352}}


In addition, there was controversy concerning the nature of the ] (the act of declaring other Muslims to be ] or unbelievers) which it was claimed Ibn Baz had pronounced. According to ], he threatened all who did not accept his "pre-]" views with a ], declaring them infidels.{{sfn|Ruthven|2004|page=149}} Ibn Baz wrote a letter to a magazine in 1966 responding to similar accusations:
==Works==

The number of books written by ibn Baaz exceeds sixty and the subject matter covered many topics such as ], ], Fara'ed’ed, ], ] and also a great deal of books on ], ], ], ] and ].<ref name=gazette/>
{{blockquote|I only deemed it lawful to kill whoever claims that the sun is static (thābita la jāriya) and refuses to repent of this after clarification. This is because denying the circulation of the sun constitutes a denial of Allah (Glorified be He), His Great Book, and His Honourable Messenger. It is well established in the Din (religion of Islam) by way of decisive evidence and Ijma' (consensus) of scholars that whoever denies Allah, His Messenger or His Book is a Kafir (disbeliever), and their blood and wealth become violable. It is the duty of the responsible authority to ask them to repent of this; either they repent or be executed. Thanks to Allah that this issue is not debatable among scholars.<ref name=musawwir/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.binbaz.org.sa/node/8570 |title=موقع الشيخ عبدالعزيز بن باز - تكذيب ونقد لبعض ما نشرته مجلة (المصور) |access-date=2015-09-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927133751/http://www.binbaz.org.sa/node/8570 |archive-date=2015-09-27 }}</ref>}}

Ibn Baz's second article written in 1966 also responded to similar accusations:

{{blockquote|I did not declare those who believe that the earth rotates to be infidels, nor those who believe that the sun moving around itself, but I do so for those who say that the sun is static and does not move (thābita la jāriya), which is in my last article. Whoever says so being an infidel is obvious from the Quran and the Sunnah, because God almighty says: 'And the sun runs on (tajri) to a term appointed for it' ... As for saying that the Sun is fixed in one position but still moving around itself, ..., I did not deal with this issue in my first article, nor have I declared as infidel anyone who says so.<ref name="Al-adilla">{{Cite book| publisher = Maktabat al-riyāḍ al-ḥadītha | last = Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz| title = ''Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ''| location = Riyadh| date = 1982|edition=2nd|pages=36, 45}}</ref><ref></ref> Western writers subsequently have drawn parallels between their perception of Ibn Baz and the ] by the ] in the 16th century.<ref>{{cite book |title=Human Right's and the World's Religions |last=Rouner |first=Leroy S. |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-268-01086-7 |page=106|publisher=University of Notre Dame Press }}</ref>}}

Ibn Baz is often said to have believed that the ]. Author ] says that Ibn Baz gave an interview "in which he mused on how we operate day to day on the basis that the ground beneath us is flat ... and it led him to the belief that he was not afraid to voice and for which he became notorious."{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=89–90, 352}} Though satirized for his belief, "the sheikh was unrepentant. If Muslims chose to believe the world was round, that was their business, he said, and he would not quarrel with them religiously. But he was inclined to trust what he felt beneath his feet rather than the statements of scientists he did not know."{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=89–90, 352}} According to Lacey, Ibn Baz changed his mind about the earth's flatness after talking to Prince ] who had spent time in a space shuttle flight in 1985.{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=88–89, 352}}

However, Malise Ruthven and others state that it is incorrect to report that Ibn Baz believed "the earth is flat"{{sfn|Ruthven|2004|page=148}} Professor Werner Ende, a German expert on Ibn Baz's fatwas, states he has never asserted this.<ref name=Miller /> Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî calls those that attribute the flat earth view to Ibn Baz "rumour mongers". He points out that Ibn Baz issued a fatwa declaring that the Earth is round,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.islamtoday.net/node/927|title=Sheikh Ibn Baz on the roundness of the Earth|author=Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî, former professor at al-Imâm University in Riyadh|access-date=9 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301030729/http://en.islamtoday.net/node/927|archive-date=1 March 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/18030 |title=الأرض كروية أم سطحية ؟ &#124; |access-date=2013-02-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625044302/http://www.binbaz.org.sa/mat/18030 |archive-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=live }}</ref> and, indeed, in 1966 Ibn Baz wrote "The quotation I cited from the speech of the great scholar ] (may Allah be merciful to him) includes proof that the earth is round."<ref name="musawwir">{{cite web|url = http://alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?View=Page&PageID=186&PageNo=1&BookID=14|title = Refuting and criticizing what has been published in "Al-Musawwir" magazine|author = Ibn Baz|date = 15 April 1966|work = "Al-Musawwir" magazine (Part No. 3; Page No. 157)|publisher = The General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|access-date = 22 January 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141218165555/http://alifta.net/Fatawa/FatawaChapters.aspx?View=Page&PageID=186&PageNo=1&BookID=14|archive-date = 18 December 2014|url-status = dead}}</ref>

Lacey quotes a fatwa by Ibn Baz urging caution towards claims that the ]. "We must make careful checks whenever the '']'' or ''faseqoon'' tell us something: we cannot believe or disbelieve them until we get sufficient proof on which the Muslims can depend."{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=89–90, 352}}

===Grand Mosque takeover===
Ibn Baz has been associated with some members of the 20 November–4 December 1979 ] (]) in Mecca. The two-week-long armed takeover left over 250 dead, including hostages taken by the militants. According to interviews taken by author Robert Lacey, the militants, led by ], were known as Al-Ikhwan (named after the ] army that which Juhayman's father served in or the hostel, Beit al-Ikhwan, in which Juhayman lived in).{{sfn|Lacey|2009|page=13}} Al-Ikhwan were former students of Ibn Baz and other high ulema under the ''Al-Jama'a Al-Salafiya Al-Muhtasiba'' (literally, the Salafi Group that Commands Right and Forbids Wrong"), before breaking off from the group due to their extremism and militantism.{{sfn|Lacey|2009|page=11}} Juhayman declared his brother-in-law, Mohammed al-Qahtani, to be the ]. The ] (secret police) of the Minister of Interior, Prince ], had identified Mohammed al-Qahtani and a number of the Ikhwan as troublemakers. They had them imprisoned months before—only to release them at the request of Sheikh Ibn Baz.{{sfn|Lacey|2009|page=31}}

Islam forbids any violence within the Grand Mosque. Ibn Baz found himself in a delicate situation, especially as he had previously taught al-Otaybi in ]. The situation was compounded and complicated by the fact that the Saudi Government found itself unprepared and incapable of dislodging the militants from the Mosque.<ref>Thomas Hegghammer and Stephane Lacroix. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410104501/http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=862184 |date=2015-04-10 }} International Journal of Middle East Studies, February 2007, pp 103-122, Cambridge University Press (p. 3 PDF).</ref> They asked for outside assistance from the French ] and ] ]. Non-Muslims are not permitted within the Meccan city limits, let alone the Grand Mosque.

When asked for a fatwa by the Government to condemn the militants, the language of Ibn Baz and other senior ulama "was curiously restrained". The invaders of the Masjid al-Haram were not declared non-Muslims, despite their killings and violation of the sanctity of the Masjid, but only called "''al-jamaah al-musallahah''" (the armed group). Regardless, the ulema issued a ] allowing deadly force to be used in retaking the mosque.<ref name="lt soft 103-4">Wright, ''Looming Tower'', (2006), pp. 103–104 – softcover</ref> The senior scholars also insisted that before security forces attack them, the authorities must offer the option "to surrender and lay down their arms".{{sfn|Lacey|2009|pages=30|ps=: "Their language was curiously restrained. The sheikhs had a rich vocabulary of condemnation that they regularly deployed against those who incurred their wrath, from kuffar ... to al-faseqoon (those who are immoral and who do not follow God). But the worst they could conjure up for Juhayman and his followers was al-jamaah al-musallahah (the armed group). They also insisted that the young men must be given another chance to repent. ... Before attacking them, said the ulema, the authorities must offer the option 'to surrender and lay down their arms.'}}

===Women's rights===
{{See also|Women's rights in Saudi Arabia|Women in Islam}}
Ibn Baz has been described as having inflexible attitudes towards women<ref>{{cite book |title=The battle for Saudi Arabia: royalty, fundamentalism, and global power |last=AbuKhalil |first=Asʻad |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-58322-610-0 |page=147 |publisher=Seven Stories Press }}</ref> and being a bulwark against the expansion of rights for women.<ref name= Marshall/> Commenting on the Sharia rule that the testimony in court of one woman was insufficient, Ibn Baz said: "The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) explained that their shortcoming in reasoning is found in the fact that their memory is weak and that their witness is in need of another woman to corroborate it."<ref name= Marshall>{{cite book|title=Radical Islam's rules: the worldwide spread of extreme Shari'a law|last=Marshall|first=Paul A.|year=2005|isbn=978-0-7425-4362-1|page=33}}</ref> He also issued a fatwa against ], which in the West may have been his most well known ruling.<ref name= NYT>{{cite news|title=Sheik Abdelaziz bin Baz, Senior Saudi Cleric and Royal Ally|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/14/world/sheik-abdelaziz-bin-baz-senior-saudi-cleric-and-royal-ally.html|newspaper=]|date=14 May 1999|access-date=9 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120704060149/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/14/world/sheik-abdelaziz-bin-baz-senior-saudi-cleric-and-royal-ally.html|archive-date=4 July 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> He declared: "Depravity leads to the innocent and pure women being accused of indecencies. Allah has laid down one of the harshest punishments for such an act to protect society from the spreading of the causes of depravity. Women driving cars, however, is one of the causes that lead to that."<ref name= Marshall/>

===Persian Gulf War===
During the ] Ibn Bāz issued a fatwa allowing the deployment of non-Muslim troops on Saudi soil to defend the kingdom from the Iraqi army. Some noted that this was in contrast to his opinion in the 1940s when he contradicted the government policy of allowing non-Muslims to be employed on Saudi soil.{{sfnp|Kepel|2004|p=184}} However, according to ''The New York Times'', his fatwa overruled more radical clerics.<ref name= NYT/><ref>See also {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402213008/http://islamicresearchmission.blogspot.com/2012/11/salafi-fatwa-ibn-baaz-nasiruddin-albani.html |date=2015-04-02 }} By: Maulana Muhammad A. K. Azad , 14 NOVEMBER 2012, contains full text of ''Salafi fatwa - Ibn Baaz Is Kafir'', by Judith Miller, ''The New York Times'', 20 January 1991 as well.</ref> In response to criticism, Ibn Baz condemned those who "whisper secretly in their meetings and record their poison over cassettes distributed to the people".<ref name= NYT/>

The Jamaican radical cleric ] ex-communicated ('']'') Ibn Baz, declaring him an apostate who died unrepentant.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://millatibraheem.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/satanic-fatwa-of-bin-baz-and-some-remarks/ |title=Satanic Fatwa of bin Baz and Some Remarks |date=9 October 2008 |access-date=2015-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150419123516/https://millatibraheem.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/satanic-fatwa-of-bin-baz-and-some-remarks/ |archive-date=2015-04-19 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Criticism of Osama bin Laden===
According to his obituary in '']'', Ibn Baz held ultra-conservative views and strongly maintained the puritan and non-compromising traditions of ].<ref name= Independent/> However, his political views were not strict enough for ] who condemned Ibn Baz for "his weakness and flexibility and the ease of influencing him with the various means which the ] practises".<ref name= Independent/> Ibn Baz was the subject of Osama bin Laden's first public pronouncement intended for the general ] public. This little open letter condescendingly criticized him for endorsing the ] between the ] and ]i government.<ref>''Messages to the World, The Statements of Osama Bin Laden,'' Edited and Introduced by Bruce Lawrence, Translated by James Howarth, Verso, 2005</ref> Ibn Baz defended his decision to endorse the Oslo Accords by citing the ], saying that a peace treaty with non-Muslims has historical precedent if it can avoid the loss of life.<ref>al-Muslimoon Magazine, 21st ] ]</ref><ref>at-Tawheed Magazine, vol. 23, Issue #10</ref>

Ibn Baz deemed it mandatory to destroy media that promoted Bin Laden's views, and declared that it was forbidden for anyone to co-operate with him. He wrote:

{{blockquote|...It is obligatory to destroy and annihilate these publications that have emanated from ], or from al-Mas'aree, or from others of the callers of falsehood (] and those like him), and not to be lenient towards them. And it is obligatory to advise them, to guide them towards the truth, and to warn them against this falsehood. It is not permissible for anyone to co-operate with them in this evil. And it is obligatory upon them to be sincere and to come back to guidance and to leave alone and abandon this falsehood. So my advice to al-Mas'aree, al-Faqeeh and Bin Laden and all those who traverse their ways is to leave alone this disastrous path, and to fear ] and to beware of His vengeance and His Anger, and to return to guidance and to repent to Allah for whatever has preceded from them. And Allah, Glorified, has promised His repentant servants that He will accept their repentance and be good to them. So Allah the Glorified said: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves. Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah; verily, Allah forgives all sins.' Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." .<ref>Majmoo'ul-Fataawaa wa Maqaalaatul-Mutanawwiyah, Volume 9, as quoted in Clarification of the Truth in Light of Terrorism, Hijackings & Suicide Bombings of ].</ref>}}

== Works ==

* ''The Correct Islamic Aqeedah and what opposes it''
*''Important Lessons for Every Muslim''
*''Hajj, Umrah and Ziyarah''
*''The Prophet's Manner of Performing''
*''Essential Lessons For Every Muslim''
*''Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah''
*''Knowledge''
*''Treaties on Zakat & Fasting''
*''The Rule on Those Who Seek Help In Other Than Allah''


== References == == References ==
===Notes===
<references/>
{{notelist}}

===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last=Kepel|first=Gilles|title=The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West|url=https://archive.org/details/warformuslimmind00kepe|url-access=registration|year=2004|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-01575-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Lacey|first=Robert|title=Inside the Kingdom: Kings, Clerics, Modernists, Terrorists, and the Struggle for Saudi Arabia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VEYsi7ZmtywC&pg=PP1|year=2009|publisher=Penguin Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-101-14073-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Ruthven|first=Malise|title=A Fury for God: The Islamist Attack on America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tsJDrhCZqwYC&pg=PP1|year=2004|publisher=Granta Books|isbn=978-1-86207-573-3}}


==External links== ==External links==
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Latest revision as of 23:47, 13 December 2024

Saudi Islamic scholar (1912–1999)
Ibn Baz
ابن باز
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia
In office
1993 – 13 May 1999
MonarchKing Fahd
Preceded byMuhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh
Succeeded byAbdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh
Personal life
Born(1912-11-21)21 November 1912
Riyadh, Emirate of Riyadh (present day Saudi Arabia)
Died13 May 1999(1999-05-13) (aged 86)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Resting placeAl Adl cemetery, Mecca
NationalitySaudi
Children
  • Ahmad
  • Abd Allah
  • Abd al-Rahman
  • Khalid
Parent
  • Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman (father)
EraModern
RegionMiddle East
Religious life
DenominationSunni
MovementWahhabism, Salafism
Senior posting
TeacherMuhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh
Influenced by
Influenced

Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah Al Baz (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله آل باز, romanizedʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh Āl Bāz; 21 November 1912 – 13 May 1999), known as Ibn Baz or Bin Baz, was a Saudi Islamic scholar who served as the grand mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999.

According to French political scientist Gilles Kepel, Ibn Baz was a "figurehead" whose "immense religious erudition and his reputation for intransigence" gave him prestige among the population of Saudi Arabia. He "could reinforce the Saud family's policies through his influence with the masses of believers".

Ibn Baz issued a fatwa authorising a wealth tax to support the mujahidin during the anti-Soviet jihad. His endorsement of In Defence of Muslim Lands, principally written by Abdullah Azzam, was a powerful influence in the successful call for jihad against the Soviet Union. It is said to be the first official call for jihad by a nation state against another nation state in modern times.

Early life

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Ibn Baz was born in the city of Riyadh during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah in 1912 to a family with a reputation for their interest in Islam. His father died when he was only three. By the time he was thirteen, he had begun working, selling clothing with his brother in a market. He also took lessons in the Qur'an, hadith, fiqh, and tafsir, with the man who would precede him as the country's top religious official, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh.

In 1927, when he was sixteen, he started losing his eyesight after a serious infection in his eyes. By the time he was twenty, he had totally lost his sight and had become blind. At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked a modern university system. Ibn Baz received a traditional education in Islamic literature with Islamic scholars.

Career

He held a number of posts and responsibilities, such as:

In 1981 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. He was the only Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia not to come from the Al ash-Sheikh family.

Ibn Bāz wrote more than sixty works over the course of his career on subjects including the hadith, tafsir, Islamic inheritance jurisprudence, Tawheed, fiqh, salat, zakat, dawah, Hajj and Umrah.

He also authored a criticism of the concept of nationhood.

Activism

Ibn Bāz had undertaken a number of charitable and similar activities such as:

  • His support for dawah organisations and Islamic centres in many parts of the world.
  • The popular radio program, Nurun Ala Darb ("light on the path"), in which he discussed current issues and answered questions from listeners as well as providing fatwa if needed.
  • Ibn Baz urged donations be given to the Taliban in Afghanistan, who in the late 1990s were seen by many Saudis as "pure, young Salafi warriors" fighting against destructive warlords.
  • Ibn Baz issued fatwas against the Soviets.

Ibn Bāz was a prolific speaker, both in public and privately at his mosque. He also used to invite people after Isha prayer to share a meal with him.

Ibn Bāz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence. He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God.

During his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, he attempted to both legitimise the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with Salafi ideals. Many criticised him for supporting the Saudi government when, after the Persian Gulf War, it muzzled or imprisoned those regarded as too critical of the government, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda. His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the current prominent judges and religious scholars in Saudi Arabia are his former students.

Personal life

His wives and children lived in the Shumaysi neighbourhood of Riyadh in "a little cluster of modern two-story buildings". Like all senior Saudi clerics, his home was a gift from a wealthy benefactor or a religious foundation for his distinguished religious work.

Death

On Thursday morning, 13 May 1999, Ibn Bāz died at the age of 86. He was buried in Al Adl cemetery, Mecca.

King Fahd issued a decree appointing Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh as the new Grand Mufti after Ibn Bāz's death.

Controversies

His obituary in The Independent said "His views and fatwas (religious rulings) were controversial, condemned by militants, liberals and progressives alike". He was also criticised by hardline Salafi jihadists for supporting the decision to permit U.S. troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia in 1991.

Cosmology

See also: Orbit of the Sun, Geocentric model, Astronomy in Islam, and Apostasy in Islam

In 1966, when Ibn Baz was vice-president of the Islamic University of Medina, he wrote an article denouncing Riyadh University for teaching the "falsehood" that the Earth rotates and orbits the Sun. In his article, Ibn Baz claimed that the Sun orbited the Earth, and that "the earth is fixed and stable, spread out by God for mankind and made a bed and cradle for them, fixed down by mountains lest it shake". As a result of the publication of his first article, Ibn Baz was ridiculed by Egyptian journalists as an example of Saudi primitiveness, and King Faisal was reportedly so angered by the first article that he ordered the destruction of every unsold copy of the two papers that had published it. In 1982 Ibn Baz published a book, Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ ("Treatise on the textual and rational proofs of the rotation of the sun and the motionlessness of the earth and the possibility of ascension to other planets"). In it, he republished the 1966 article, together with a second article on the same subject written later in 1966, and repeated his belief that the Sun orbited the Earth. In 1985, he changed his mind concerning the rotation of the Earth (and, according to Lacey, ceased to assert its flatness), when Prince Sultan bin Salman returned home after a week aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery to tell him that he had seen the Earth rotate.

In addition, there was controversy concerning the nature of the takfir (the act of declaring other Muslims to be kafir or unbelievers) which it was claimed Ibn Baz had pronounced. According to Malise Ruthven, he threatened all who did not accept his "pre-Copernican" views with a fatwa, declaring them infidels. Ibn Baz wrote a letter to a magazine in 1966 responding to similar accusations:

I only deemed it lawful to kill whoever claims that the sun is static (thābita la jāriya) and refuses to repent of this after clarification. This is because denying the circulation of the sun constitutes a denial of Allah (Glorified be He), His Great Book, and His Honourable Messenger. It is well established in the Din (religion of Islam) by way of decisive evidence and Ijma' (consensus) of scholars that whoever denies Allah, His Messenger or His Book is a Kafir (disbeliever), and their blood and wealth become violable. It is the duty of the responsible authority to ask them to repent of this; either they repent or be executed. Thanks to Allah that this issue is not debatable among scholars.

Ibn Baz's second article written in 1966 also responded to similar accusations:

I did not declare those who believe that the earth rotates to be infidels, nor those who believe that the sun moving around itself, but I do so for those who say that the sun is static and does not move (thābita la jāriya), which is in my last article. Whoever says so being an infidel is obvious from the Quran and the Sunnah, because God almighty says: 'And the sun runs on (tajri) to a term appointed for it' ... As for saying that the Sun is fixed in one position but still moving around itself, ..., I did not deal with this issue in my first article, nor have I declared as infidel anyone who says so. Western writers subsequently have drawn parallels between their perception of Ibn Baz and the trial of Galileo by the Catholic Church in the 16th century.

Ibn Baz is often said to have believed that the Earth was flat. Author Robert Lacey says that Ibn Baz gave an interview "in which he mused on how we operate day to day on the basis that the ground beneath us is flat ... and it led him to the belief that he was not afraid to voice and for which he became notorious." Though satirized for his belief, "the sheikh was unrepentant. If Muslims chose to believe the world was round, that was their business, he said, and he would not quarrel with them religiously. But he was inclined to trust what he felt beneath his feet rather than the statements of scientists he did not know." According to Lacey, Ibn Baz changed his mind about the earth's flatness after talking to Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud who had spent time in a space shuttle flight in 1985.

However, Malise Ruthven and others state that it is incorrect to report that Ibn Baz believed "the earth is flat" Professor Werner Ende, a German expert on Ibn Baz's fatwas, states he has never asserted this. Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî calls those that attribute the flat earth view to Ibn Baz "rumour mongers". He points out that Ibn Baz issued a fatwa declaring that the Earth is round, and, indeed, in 1966 Ibn Baz wrote "The quotation I cited from the speech of the great scholar Ibn Al-Qayyim (may Allah be merciful to him) includes proof that the earth is round."

Lacey quotes a fatwa by Ibn Baz urging caution towards claims that the Americans had landed on the Moon. "We must make careful checks whenever the kuffar or faseqoon tell us something: we cannot believe or disbelieve them until we get sufficient proof on which the Muslims can depend."

Grand Mosque takeover

Ibn Baz has been associated with some members of the 20 November–4 December 1979 takeover of the Grand Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca. The two-week-long armed takeover left over 250 dead, including hostages taken by the militants. According to interviews taken by author Robert Lacey, the militants, led by Juhayman al-Otaybi, were known as Al-Ikhwan (named after the Ikhwan army that which Juhayman's father served in or the hostel, Beit al-Ikhwan, in which Juhayman lived in). Al-Ikhwan were former students of Ibn Baz and other high ulema under the Al-Jama'a Al-Salafiya Al-Muhtasiba (literally, the Salafi Group that Commands Right and Forbids Wrong"), before breaking off from the group due to their extremism and militantism. Juhayman declared his brother-in-law, Mohammed al-Qahtani, to be the Mahdi. The Mabahith (secret police) of the Minister of Interior, Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, had identified Mohammed al-Qahtani and a number of the Ikhwan as troublemakers. They had them imprisoned months before—only to release them at the request of Sheikh Ibn Baz.

Islam forbids any violence within the Grand Mosque. Ibn Baz found himself in a delicate situation, especially as he had previously taught al-Otaybi in Medina. The situation was compounded and complicated by the fact that the Saudi Government found itself unprepared and incapable of dislodging the militants from the Mosque. They asked for outside assistance from the French GIGN and Pakistani SSG. Non-Muslims are not permitted within the Meccan city limits, let alone the Grand Mosque.

When asked for a fatwa by the Government to condemn the militants, the language of Ibn Baz and other senior ulama "was curiously restrained". The invaders of the Masjid al-Haram were not declared non-Muslims, despite their killings and violation of the sanctity of the Masjid, but only called "al-jamaah al-musallahah" (the armed group). Regardless, the ulema issued a fatwa allowing deadly force to be used in retaking the mosque. The senior scholars also insisted that before security forces attack them, the authorities must offer the option "to surrender and lay down their arms".

Women's rights

See also: Women's rights in Saudi Arabia and Women in Islam

Ibn Baz has been described as having inflexible attitudes towards women and being a bulwark against the expansion of rights for women. Commenting on the Sharia rule that the testimony in court of one woman was insufficient, Ibn Baz said: "The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) explained that their shortcoming in reasoning is found in the fact that their memory is weak and that their witness is in need of another woman to corroborate it." He also issued a fatwa against women driving cars, which in the West may have been his most well known ruling. He declared: "Depravity leads to the innocent and pure women being accused of indecencies. Allah has laid down one of the harshest punishments for such an act to protect society from the spreading of the causes of depravity. Women driving cars, however, is one of the causes that lead to that."

Persian Gulf War

During the Persian Gulf War Ibn Bāz issued a fatwa allowing the deployment of non-Muslim troops on Saudi soil to defend the kingdom from the Iraqi army. Some noted that this was in contrast to his opinion in the 1940s when he contradicted the government policy of allowing non-Muslims to be employed on Saudi soil. However, according to The New York Times, his fatwa overruled more radical clerics. In response to criticism, Ibn Baz condemned those who "whisper secretly in their meetings and record their poison over cassettes distributed to the people".

The Jamaican radical cleric Abdullah el-Faisal ex-communicated (takfir) Ibn Baz, declaring him an apostate who died unrepentant.

Criticism of Osama bin Laden

According to his obituary in The Independent, Ibn Baz held ultra-conservative views and strongly maintained the puritan and non-compromising traditions of Wahhabism. However, his political views were not strict enough for Osama bin Laden who condemned Ibn Baz for "his weakness and flexibility and the ease of influencing him with the various means which the interior ministry practises". Ibn Baz was the subject of Osama bin Laden's first public pronouncement intended for the general Muslim public. This little open letter condescendingly criticized him for endorsing the Oslo peace accord between the PLO and Israeli government. Ibn Baz defended his decision to endorse the Oslo Accords by citing the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, saying that a peace treaty with non-Muslims has historical precedent if it can avoid the loss of life.

Ibn Baz deemed it mandatory to destroy media that promoted Bin Laden's views, and declared that it was forbidden for anyone to co-operate with him. He wrote:

...It is obligatory to destroy and annihilate these publications that have emanated from al-Faqeeh, or from al-Mas'aree, or from others of the callers of falsehood (bin Laden and those like him), and not to be lenient towards them. And it is obligatory to advise them, to guide them towards the truth, and to warn them against this falsehood. It is not permissible for anyone to co-operate with them in this evil. And it is obligatory upon them to be sincere and to come back to guidance and to leave alone and abandon this falsehood. So my advice to al-Mas'aree, al-Faqeeh and Bin Laden and all those who traverse their ways is to leave alone this disastrous path, and to fear Allah and to beware of His vengeance and His Anger, and to return to guidance and to repent to Allah for whatever has preceded from them. And Allah, Glorified, has promised His repentant servants that He will accept their repentance and be good to them. So Allah the Glorified said: "Say, 'O My servants who have transgressed against themselves. Do not despair of the Mercy of Allah; verily, Allah forgives all sins.' Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." .

Works

  • The Correct Islamic Aqeedah and what opposes it
  • Important Lessons for Every Muslim
  • Hajj, Umrah and Ziyarah
  • The Prophet's Manner of Performing
  • Essential Lessons For Every Muslim
  • Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah
  • Knowledge
  • Treaties on Zakat & Fasting
  • The Rule on Those Who Seek Help In Other Than Allah

References

Notes

Citations

  1. Kepel (2004), p. 186.
  2. "إجازة الشيخ محمد شفيع للشيخ عبدالعزيز في الحديث وثنائه عليه". binbaz.org.sa (in Arabic). Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  3. "اغتيال قائد جيش الإسلام زهران علوش بغارة يعتقد أنها روسية". أنا برس. 2015-12-25. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02.
  4. "الشيخ المجاهد "زهران علوش".. سيرة قائد طلب الشهادة فنالها". هيئة الشام الإسلامية. January 28, 2016. Archived from the original on February 2, 2017.
  5. ^ Who's Who in Saudi Arabia 1978-1979, pg. 53. Part of the Who's Who series. Edited by M. Samir Sarhan. Jeddah and London: Tihama and Europa Publications. ISBN 978-0-905118-28-4
  6. ^ Who's Who in the Arab World 1990-1991, pg. 123. Part of the Who's Who series. Edited by Gabriel M. Bustros. Beirut: Publitec Publications, 10th ed. ISBN 978-2-903188-07-8
  7. Heffelfinger, Charles (2011). Radical Islam In America: Salafism's Journey from Arabia to the West. Potomac Books (University of Nebraska Press). p. 8. ISBN 978-1-59797-302-1. Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (more commonly known as Bin Baz)...
  8. Khalid Al Mubarak (25 May 1999). "Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  9. "Main Page". Archived from the original on 28 August 2007. Retrieved 23 July 2007.
  10. "Ad-Da'wah Ilallah wa Akhlaaqud-Du'aat" (pp. 37–43)
  11. Main Page Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, pp. 9–10
  13. "Words of Advice Regarding Da'wah" by 'Abdul 'Azeez ibn 'Abdullaah ibn Baaz (translated by Bint Feroz Deen and Bint 'Abd al-Ghafoor), Al-Hidaayah Publishing and Distribution, Birmingham: 1998, Pages 10–11
  14. ^ Saudi Gazette, 14 May 1999
  15. Saudi Gazette Archived 28 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  16. As'Ad Abukhalil (2011). The Battle for Saudi Arabia: Royalty, Fundamentalism, and Global Power. Seven Stories Press. p. 66. ISBN 978-1-60980-173-1.
  17. "Evils of Nationalism: Shaykh Abdul Azeez Bin Baaz". AbdurRahman.Org. 29 January 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  18. Lacey 2009, pp. 198: the Afghan jihad was being fought over again, with pure, young Salafi warriors. Abdul Aziz bin Baz .... a particular enthusiast. The man who had sponsored and protected Juhayman now urged the holy cause of the Afghan students with the ulema, and more potently still with the senior princes to whom he had private access. It is not known -- it will never be known -- which of the family of Abdul Aziz privately parted with money at the venerable shiekh's request, but what was pocket money to them could easily have bought a fleet of pickup trucks for the Taliban.
  19. Ibn Baaz's fatwa in support of the war against the soviets Archived 20 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Ibn Baz Fatwas, Volume 27, Book on Da'wah. An interview by the Pakistani magazine: Takbir.
  20. Christopher M. Blanchard (2010). Saudi Arabia: Background and U. S. Relations. DIANE Publishing Company. p. 27. ISBN 978-1-4379-2838-9.
  21. "العنف يضر بالدعوة". June 4, 2004. Archived from the original on 2004-06-04.
  22. حقوق ولاة الأمور على الأمة Archived 16 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  23. Lacey 2009, p. 131.
  24. "Al Adl: One of Makkah's oldest cemeteries". Saudi Gazette. 18 June 2012. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  25. "New Saudi Grand Mufti" Archived 12 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, May 16, 1999.
  26. ^ "Obituary: Sheikh 'Abdul 'Aziz bin Baz". The Independent. 14 May 1999. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
  27. Jarret M. Brachman (2008). Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice. Taylor & Francis. p. 27. ISBN 978-0-203-89505-4.
  28. ^ Weston, Mark (2008). Prophets and Princes: Saudi Arabia from Muhammad to the Present. John Wiley & Sons. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-470-18257-4.
  29. "Sheikh Bin Baz". The Economist. 20 May 1999. Archived from the original on December 1, 2012. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  30. Ende, Werner (1982). "Religion, Politik und Literatur in Saudi-Arabien. Der geistige Hintergrund der religiösen und kulturpolitischen Situation (III)". Orient: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Politik und Wirtschaft des Orients'. 23 (3): 382ff.
  31. Holden, David (1982). The House of Saud. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. p. 262. ISBN 978-0-03-043731-1.
  32. ^ Sayeed, Khalid B. (1994). Western Dominance and Political Islam: Challenge and Response. SUNY Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-7914-2265-6.
  33. ^ Miller, Judith (2011). God has Ninety-Nine Names. Simon and Schuster. pp. 114, 493. ISBN 978-1-4391-2941-8.
  34. ^ Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz (1982). Al-adilla al-naqliyya wa al-ḥissiyya ʿala imkān al-ṣuʾūd ila al-kawākib wa ʾala jarayān al-shams wa al-qamar wa sukūn al-arḍ (2nd ed.). Riyadh: Maktabat al-riyāḍ al-ḥadītha. pp. 36, 45.
  35. ^ Ruthven 2004, p. 148.
  36. ^ Lacey 2009, pp. 89–90, 352.
  37. Ruthven 2004, p. 149.
  38. ^ Ibn Baz (15 April 1966). "Refuting and criticizing what has been published in "Al-Musawwir" magazine". "Al-Musawwir" magazine (Part No. 3; Page No. 157). The General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Archived from the original on 18 December 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  39. "موقع الشيخ عبدالعزيز بن باز - تكذيب ونقد لبعض ما نشرته مجلة (المصور)". Archived from the original on 2015-09-27. Retrieved 2015-09-26.
  40. For another response from the 1970s see
  41. Rouner, Leroy S. (1988). Human Right's and the World's Religions. University of Notre Dame Press. p. 106. ISBN 978-0-268-01086-7.
  42. Lacey 2009, pp. 88–89, 352.
  43. Sheikh 'Abd al-Wahhâb al-Turayrî, former professor at al-Imâm University in Riyadh. "Sheikh Ibn Baz on the roundness of the Earth". Archived from the original on 1 March 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  44. "الأرض كروية أم سطحية ؟ |". Archived from the original on 2013-06-25. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  45. Lacey 2009, p. 13.
  46. Lacey 2009, p. 11.
  47. Lacey 2009, p. 31.
  48. Thomas Hegghammer and Stephane Lacroix. Rejectionist Islamism in Saudi Arabia: The Story of Juhayman al-Utaybi Revisited. Archived 2015-04-10 at the Wayback Machine International Journal of Middle East Studies, February 2007, pp 103-122, Cambridge University Press (p. 3 PDF).
  49. Wright, Looming Tower, (2006), pp. 103–104 – softcover
  50. Lacey 2009, pp. 30: "Their language was curiously restrained. The sheikhs had a rich vocabulary of condemnation that they regularly deployed against those who incurred their wrath, from kuffar ... to al-faseqoon (those who are immoral and who do not follow God). But the worst they could conjure up for Juhayman and his followers was al-jamaah al-musallahah (the armed group). They also insisted that the young men must be given another chance to repent. ... Before attacking them, said the ulema, the authorities must offer the option 'to surrender and lay down their arms.'
  51. AbuKhalil, Asʻad (2004). The battle for Saudi Arabia: royalty, fundamentalism, and global power. Seven Stories Press. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-58322-610-0.
  52. ^ Marshall, Paul A. (2005). Radical Islam's rules: the worldwide spread of extreme Shari'a law. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-7425-4362-1.
  53. ^ "Sheik Abdelaziz bin Baz, Senior Saudi Cleric and Royal Ally". The New York Times. 14 May 1999. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  54. Kepel (2004), p. 184.
  55. See also Salafi Fatwa Of Takfeer On Their Own Imams Ibn Baaz, Albani & Co. Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine By: Maulana Muhammad A. K. Azad , 14 NOVEMBER 2012, contains full text of Salafi fatwa - Ibn Baaz Is Kafir, by Judith Miller, The New York Times, 20 January 1991 as well.
  56. "Satanic Fatwa of bin Baz and Some Remarks". 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  57. Messages to the World, The Statements of Osama Bin Laden, Edited and Introduced by Bruce Lawrence, Translated by James Howarth, Verso, 2005
  58. al-Muslimoon Magazine, 21st Rajab 1415 AH
  59. at-Tawheed Magazine, vol. 23, Issue #10
  60. Majmoo'ul-Fataawaa wa Maqaalaatul-Mutanawwiyah, Volume 9, as quoted in Clarification of the Truth in Light of Terrorism, Hijackings & Suicide Bombings of Salafi Publications.

Sources

External links

Religious titles
Preceded byMuhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia
1992–1999
Succeeded byAbdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh
Categories: