| 20th | Top Hafiz |
| Ibn Baaz | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Ibn Baaz |
| Born | November 21, 1910 |
| Died | May 13, 1999 (aged 88) |
| Era | Modern era |
| Region | Saudi Arabian scholar |
| School | Sunni Islam |
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Influenced
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Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Abdur-Rahaman ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah alee Baaz (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn ‘Abd Allāh ibn Bāz), also known as Bin Baaz, was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999.
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Ibn Baaz was born in the city of Riyadh during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, 1909 to a family with a reputation for their interest in Islam. 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 Sharia; she also died when I was twenty six.” By the time he was thirteen he had begun 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 Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh, and Tafsir. In 1927, 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. [1]
At that time, Saudi Arabia lacked a modern, sophisticated university system. However, Ibn Baaz managed to learn a great deal through his constant reading of Islamic literature as well as his association with different scholars whom he learned from. These include:[2][3]
He had assumed a number of posts and responsibilities such as:[4]
Over the years, he held a large number of positions as president or member of various Islamic councils and committees, and chaired a number of conferences both within Saudi Arabia and overseas, in addition to writing a great number of books in different fields and issuing a large body of fatwa. In 1981 he was awarded the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. [5][6]
On Thursday morning, May 13, 1999, Ibn Baaz died at the age of 90 whilst prostrating in prayer. The next day, following Friday prayer, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, Sultan bin Abdul Aziz, and hundreds of thousands of people performed the funeral prayer at the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca.[7]
King Fahd issued a decree appointing Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh as the new Grand Mufti after Bin Baaz's death.[8]
Ibn Baaz had undertaken a number of charitable and other activities such as: [5]
Ibn Baaz was considered by many to be prolific speaker both in public and privately at his mosque. Like his books, his lectures and sermons were numerous and revolved frequently around the situation of the Muslim world. In addition, much of his time was devoted to the lessons he gave after Fajr prayer, teaching during the day, meeting delegates from Muslim countries and sitting with people after Maghrib prayer to provide counseling and advice on personal matters. He also used to invite people after Isha prayer to share a meal with him.[5]
Ibn Baz was among the Muslim scholars who opposed regime change using violence.[9] He called for obedience to the people in power unless they ordered something that went against God.[10] He condemned the terrorist bombings of Riyadh in the strongest terms.[11]
During the Gulf War Ibn Baaz issued fatwa allowing the deployment of non-Muslim troops on Saudi Arabia 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 Islamically allowing non-Muslims to be employed on Saudi soil.[12]
In his career as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Bin Baaz attempted to both legitimize the rule of the ruling family and to support calls for the reform of Islam in line with Salafi ideals. Many criticized him for supporting the Saudi government when, after the Gulf War, it muzzled or imprisoned some Qutbi scholars regarded as too critical of the government, such as Safar al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda.
When Ibn Baaz died in 1999 the loss of "his erudition and reputation for intransigence" was so great the Saudi government was said to have "found itself staring into a vacuum" unable to find a figure able to "fill bin Baaz's shoes."[13] His influence on the Salafi movement was large, and most of the prominent judges and religious scholars of Saudi Arabia today are former students of his.
Ibn Baaz was the subject of Osama bin Laden's first public pronouncement intended for the general Muslim public. This open letter condescendingly criticized him for endorsing the Oslo peace accord between the PLO and Israeli government.[14] 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.[15][16] This criticism, coupled with bin Laden's making of Takfir of the rulers of Saudi Arabia, resulted in Ibn Baaz declaring bin Laden a Khariji.
In 1970, evolutionary biologist Theodosius Dobzhansky started his essay "Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution" with an alleged quote of Bin Baz asserting that he was a geocentrist.[17] Later, between 1993 and 1995, various newspapers and magazines published accounts accusing ibn Baaz, whose duties included the presidency of the administration for scientific research, had said that the Earth is flat.[18] Bin Baaz strongly denied that claim, describing the allegation as a "pure lie"; in addition, he had made statements and released multiple Fatwas affirming that the earth is round.[19][20] Observers have alleged that continued accusations against ibn Baaz regarding the topic are attempts at character assassination.[20]
The number of books written by Ibn Baaz exceeds sixty and the subject matter covered many topics such as Hadith, Tafsir, Fara'ed’ed, Tawheed, Fiqh and also a great deal of books on Salat, Zakat, Dawah, Hajj and Umrah.[5]
| Religious titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Muhammad ibn Ibraheem |
Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia 1992–1999 |
Succeeded by Abdul-Azeez ibn Abdullaah Aal ash-Shaikh |
Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah ibn Baaz (Arabic: عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز), also known as Bin Baaz, was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1993 until his death in 1999.
Raashid ar-Raajih narrates:
“Once, while I was in the presence of the Shaykh, a man came asking the Shaykh for (financial) assistance, so the Shaykh gave him a generous amount. However, the man was not satisfied, and said to the Shaykh “This is not enough for my needs”. So the Shaykh, most humbly and respectfully, said to him:
“Take it, and there will be barakah in it, with the permission of Allaah”.
And it appeared the man understood what the Shaykh had intended, so he took the money, thanking the Shaykh as he left.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 196)
Ibraaheem ibn ‘Abdil-‘Azeez ash-Shithree narrates:
“I was in the company of the Shaykh once when someone telephoned the Shaykh seeking a fatwa. Just at that time the mu.adhdhin began calling the adhaan, so the Shaykh said to the questioner:
“We shall now (listen and) respond to the adhaan”, and he placed the telephone handset down beside him.
When he finished responding to the (call of the) mu.adhdhin and (reciting) the well-known supplication after the adhaan, he turned to speak to the questioner (still waiting) on the phone and answered his question.
This is indicative of the Shaykh’s consciousness at implementing the Sunnah in all (his) affairs.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 213)
Sa’d ad-Daawood narrates:
“The Shaykh was very careful in how he spent his time;
If he was to travel by car to deliver a lecture or to (simply) attend a gathering, then a number of books would be read to him, (so much so that) I don’t know how many books have been read to him whereby he would make beneficial notes in them. And when he was asked about (all) this, he (simply) said:
“This is just to pass the time”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 194-195)
‘Abdullaah ibn Muhammad al-Mu’taaz narrates:
"Shaykh Muhammad Haamid who was the president of the group “As.haab al-Yameen” in Eritrea said:
“I arrived in Riyadh on a cold night, and did not have any (money) with which to pay for a hotel. So I thought about going to Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz’s house; the time was 3 o’clock in the morning (and) I was hesitant, but (finally) decided to go (to the Shaykh’s house).
I arrived outside his old mud-style house and found someone asleep by the gate. Having awoken, he opened the gate for me and I conveyed my greetings to him ever so quietly so that no-one (else) hears me since it was so late at night.
After a short while, I saw the Shaykh himself descending from the stairs with a pot of food. He extended greetings to me and gave me the food, saying:
“I heard your voice and brought this food for you, assuming you had not eaten this night”.
By Allaah, I was unable to sleep (the rest of the night) due to weeping at such noble manners”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 233)
Doctor Naasir ibn Misfir az-Zahraanee narrates:
“Shaykh ‘Abdur-Rahmaan ibn ‘Ateeq, the one in-charge of the Shaykh’s finances was asked: “Has the Shaykh ever asked you about his salary, and when it was due, or when it was spent, or anything about it? And has he ever asked you about how much his salary is?”
The Shaykh responded: “By Allaah! He has never asked me about it, rather he would ask about the salaries of the other people, stipulating that it must not be late”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 223)
Saalih ibn Raashid al-Huwaymil narrates on the authority of one of the trustworthy (people):
“...that one day, one of the (hajj) pilgrims who came from one of the Soviet states entered the dwelling of the Shaykh (Ibn Baaz) in Minaa, and when he saw him he said:
“Are you Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz?”
And the Shaykh replied in the most humble manner:
“Yes, I am ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz.”
So the pilgrim conveyed his salaam to him and embraced him, and kissed his (fore)head and said:
“By Allaah, I used to pray that Allaah does not cause me to die until I see (meet) you”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 12-13)
Fahd al-Bakraan narrates:
“Many have narrated that when someone wants to depart from the gathering of the Shaykh at night, that the Shaykh would invite him to stay and join them for supper, as was his manner with all who visited him. And if anyone asked to be excused, then the Shaykh would immediately respond by saying:
“In that case, you must be scared of her (implying his wife), certainly if you deny this, then you would remain with us for supper.”
May Allaah (Subhaanahu wa Ta'aala) shower His immense Mercy upon him and enter him to Paradise, (aameen).” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 13)
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Baaz (the Shaykh’s brother) mentioned:
“That his blood brother Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Baaz used to maintain the ties of kinship with him and his parents ever since he was young.
He used to visit him regularly and ask about his health and used to kiss him on his (fore)head, when he used to live in the district of al-Badee’ah al-Qadeemah in Riyaadh.
And he used to ask about my children and encourage his (own) children to visit me, may Allaah have Mercy upon Abu ‘Abdullaah.
Ever since he was young he used to love knowledge and the scholars and used to be very giving towards them, such that he would always ask our mother (rahima-hallaah) for more during lunch and supper so that he could take it with him for his brothers (in Islaam) amongst the students of knowledge.
And we were young, and used to say to him:
“Why do you do that regularly?”
And he (rahima-hullaah) would say:
“Indeed Allaah is Most Giving and will make easy our affairs in provision”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 29)
Shaykh ‘Abdullaah ibn Saalih al-‘Ubaylaan narrates:
“Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Baaz (rahima-hullaah) stood out from the rest in the manner he would offer advice, and how he refuted those who differed with him.
I once asked him in a large gathering:
“There are many who differ (with you, yet) all of them love the noble Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Baaz. We would like to know the reason for that. What is it that Allaah has blessed Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn ‘Abdullaah ibn Baaz with which causes love in their hearts for him?”
So he responded:
“I do not know of anything except that – and all praise is due to Allaah – ever since I have come to know the truth during my youth I have called/invited to it, and I remain patient at whatever befalls me in that regard. And I do not favour anyone in that regard and nor do I adulate anyone in that regard. I speak the truth and remain patient at whatever befalls me. If it is accepted, then all praise is due to Allaah, and if it is not accepted, then all praise is due to Allaah. This is the path I have set out for myself, (both) verbally and (in) written (form) – whoever accepts it - accepts it, and whoever rejects it - rejects it. So long as I am upon clear understanding, so long as I am upon (sound) knowledge in that which I (firmly) believe, then I say (what I say) and whoever from the people differs with me, then for them is their ijtihaad. Allaah grants a mujtahid two rewards if he is correct and one reward if he errs. So I do not know of any other reason except this – that I call/invite to the truth according to my ability – and all praise is due to Allaah – and I propagate it (both) verbally and by action, and I do not admonish and nor do I cause (any) harm. If I am able, rather, I pray that Allaah grants him success and guidance – this is my way with the kings (leaders) and other than the kings”.” (Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 25)
Shaykh ‘Abdul-‘Azeez ibn Muhammad ibn Daawood narrates:
“I used to walk with the Shaykh (rahima-hullaah) from Jaami’ al-Imaam Turkee ibn ‘Abdullaah to his house, and he asked me about my Qur.aan recitation. So I told him that I read it from time to time, but I don’t have a specific amount which I read everyday. So he directed me to take a set portion from the Qur.aan everyday, even if it is a little. This is because whoever has a set daily portion will (in time) complete the Qur.aan, however, whoever does not have a set (daily) portion, then he could complete the Qur.aan very quickly, or many months may pass whereby he would not have completed the Qur.aan.
He then gave me an example, saying:
“Whoever reads an entire juz (part) daily, then he will complete the Qur.aan in a month, and whoever reads two juz (daily, will complete the Qur.aan) in fifteen days and so on”.”
(Mawaaqif madhee.ah fee hayaat al-Imaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn Baaz - Page 25)
   | Jewels of Guidance (selected words and incidents from the life of Shaykh Abdul-Aziz ibn Baaz) - JEWELS OF GUIDANCE \ 'Abdul-'Azeez ibn Baaz |
| | Assorted Images and Press Clippings Regarding the Death of Shaykh ibn Baaz - SCHOLARS BIOGRAPHIES \ 15th Century \ Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Baaz passes away... |
| | Biography of Shaykh ibn Baaz - SCHOLARS BIOGRAPHIES \ 15th Century \ Shaykh 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn 'Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Baaz |
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