Abdulaziz ibn Abdullah Al Baz (; 21 November 1912 – 13 May 1999), simply known as Ibn Baz, was a Saudi Islamic scholar who served as the second Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999.

Ibn Baz issued a fatwa authorising a wealth tax to support the mujahideen 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

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 three years old. 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, 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:

  • Judge of Al Kharj district upon the recommendation of Muhammad ibn 'Abdul-Lateef Al ash-Shaikh from 1938 to 1951. Prior to the appointment of Salih al-Fawzan, he was the only Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia not to come from the Al ash-Sheikh family.

Ibn Baz 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.

Ibn Baz 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. 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 Baz died at the age of 86 due to heart failure. He was buried in al-Adl cemetery, Mecca.

King Fahd issued a decree appointing Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh as the new Grand Mufti on May 14th 1999.

Controversies

His obituary in The Independent said "His views and fatwas 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

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". and King Faisal was reportedly so displeased by the first article that he ordered the destruction of every unsold copy of the two papers that had published it.

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

Ibn Baz is often said to have believed that the Earth was flat.<!--DO NOT DELETE THIS WORDING OR ADD A CITATION NEEDED TAG WITHOUT GETTING CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE FIRST. The citation is Lacey in the next sentence. It is not saying that he did believe it is flat. The rest of the section is about whether he believed it or not. That fact that it "is often said" does not in English mean the same as it is true. --> 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 satirised 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 rotation 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. and, indeed, in 1966 Ibn Baz wrote "The quotation I cited [in his original article] 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 [unbelievers] or faasiqoon [immoral folk] 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 ulama 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 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 ulama 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

Ibn Baz has been described as having inflexible attitudes towards women and being a bulwark against the expansion of rights for women. 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 (Arabic for God) 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." In response to criticism, Ibn Baz condemned those who "whisper secretly in their meetings and record their poison over cassettes distributed to the people". 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:

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

See also

  • Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
  • Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al al-Sheikh
  • Ibn Uthaymin
  • Rabi' al-Madkhali
  • Saleh al-Fawzan
  • Abdulaziz Al al-Sheikh

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

  • Fatwas of Ibn Baz