Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

Renowned Saudi scholar Sheikh Abu Suleiman passes away, leaving behind a rich legacy

Renowned Saudi scholar Sheikh Abu Suleiman passes away, leaving behind a rich legacy

Renowned Saudi Islamic scholar and former member of the Council of Senior Scholars Sheikh Abdul Wahhab Abu Suleiman passed away at the age of 88.
Funeral prayer was offered for him at the Grand Mosque in Makkah after Dhuhr prayer on Monday and his body was buried at Al-Moalla Cemetery in Makkah.Abu Suleiman was the winner of the King Faisal International Prize in the category of Islamic Studies for the topic of “Civilizational Heritage in Makkah”. He was a member of the Islamic Fiqh Academy under the Muslim World League.

King Abdullah honored him as the Cultural Personality of the Janadriyah Festival. He had served as member of several prestigious Saudi and international bodies, and these included Islamic Studies Branch of the King Faisal International Prize; Prince Naif International Prize for the Prophet’s Sunnah and Islamic Studies; Committee of Experts of the Encyclopedia of Jurisprudence in the Islamic Fiqh Academy; Scientific Committee of the Islamic Development Bank; International Shariah Authority for Zakat in Kuwait; Advisory Council for the Maliki Jurisprudence Project at the Research House for Islamic Studies and Heritage Revival in Dubai; and Committee of Advisors to the Encyclopedia of Makkah and Madinah.

Born in Makkah in 1356 AH, Abu Suleiman received his elementary education in the holy city from the Makkah orphanage and then he joined the Saudi scientific institute. After completion of studies there, he joined the College of Shariah, which was then affiliated with King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah before it converted into Umm Al-Qura University, where from he graduated in 1377.

Later, he obtained a diploma in education from the American University of Beirut, and then did postgraduate studies at the University of London, from where he obtained doctorate in 1390.

Abu Suleiman had begun his professional life in 1378 as a teacher of the subjects of jurisprudence and interpretation at Al-Zahir Intermediate School and later became teacher of religious sciences at Aziziya Secondary School. Afterwards, he was appointed teaching assistant at the College of Shariah in Makkah for the subjects of Principles of Jurisprudence and Comparative Jurisprudence.

After obtaining his doctorate, he was appointed in 1390 as assistant professor at the College of Shariah in Makkah and in 1398 he was promoted to Associate Professor, and then Professor of Fundamentals of Jurisprudence in 1403.

He held several administrative jobs at the Umm Al Qura University, including dean of the College of Shariah and Islamic Studies between the years 1391-1393, chairman of the Manuscripts Evaluation Committee, as well as member of the University Certificate Equivalency Committee at the Ministry of Higher Education. During this period, he visited several European and American universities.

Abu Suleiman was one of the eminent scholars and researchers in the history of Makkah and the holy sites. He served as research professor at the Faculty of Law at Harvard University in the United States in 1996; visiting professor at Duke University in America, visiting professor at the International Islamic University in Malaysia,College of Arab and Islamic Studies in Dubai, and Emirates University of Al-Ain. He also represented Saudi Arabia in several international conferences and seminars.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×