Sheikh Al-Fawzan

Sheikh Salih al-Fawzan: The Scholar and His Current Roles

• Full name: Salih ibn Fawzan ibn Abdallah al-Fawzan (صالح بن فوزان بن عبد الله الفوزان), of the Al Fawzan family, which is part of the Dawasir tribe.
• Date of Birth: 1 Rajab 1354 AH, corresponding to September 28, 1935, in Ash-Shamassiya, in the Qassim region.
• Current position: Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since October 22, 2025, by royal decree.
• Other positions: Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars and General President of the General Presidency for Scientific Research and Ifta, with the rank of minister.
• Education: Ph.D. in fiqh, with a dissertation on permissible and impermissible foods as established by evidence.
• Teaching: University professor; long-standing member of the Permanent Commission for Scientific Research and Ifta and the Fiqh Council of Mecca.
• Specialization: Fiqh and Aqida, with a body of work largely focused on pedagogy.
• Major work: *Al-Mulkhas al-Fiqhi*, his two-volume compendium of fiqh, one of the most widely distributed contemporary textbooks.

Grand Mufti of the Kingdom since October 2025

On October 22, 2025, a royal decree signed by King Salman appointed Sheikh Salih al-Fawzan as Grand Mufti of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars, and General President of the General Presidency for Scientific Research and Ifta, with ministerial rank.

He succeeded Sheikh Abdelaziz Al-Ash-Sheikh, who died on September 23, 2025, and had held the position since 1999. The position itself dates back to 1953: Sheikh al-Fawzan is only the fourth person to hold it since its creation, which speaks to the stability of this institution.

This appointment formalizes an authority he has already exercised in practice for decades. As a member of the Council of Senior Scholars and the Permanent Committee for Ifta, he has long been among the signatories of the Kingdom’s most widely consulted legal opinions. For readers, the change is primarily practical: his writings are now those of Saudi Arabia’s highest religious authority, which explains the sustained demand for his works since the fall of 2025.

From Qassim to Riyadh

Born in 1354 AH in Ash-Chamassiya, a town in Al-Qassim, he lost his father at a very young age and was raised by his family. He learned the Quran and the basics of reading and writing from his local imam, before completing his school curriculum, then attending scientific institutes, and finally enrolling in the Sharia Faculty in Riyadh. There he continued his studies until he earned a doctorate in fiqh, with a dissertation on permissible and impermissible foods—a work that is still in circulation today.

His career has been that of a teacher. From scientific institutes to the university to research supervision: for decades, he has educated generations of students in Riyadh. In addition, he held institutional positions, including on the Permanent Committee for Ifta, the Mecca Fiqh Council affiliated with the Muslim World League, and a long-standing presence on the radio in a program answering religious questions, which made him familiar to millions of Arabic-speaking listeners.

A body of work born of teaching, not of the library

When asked about his books, the sheikh himself provided the key to understanding them: he does not write on his own initiative; rather, he writes for a specific reason or in response to a request. This observation can be verified title by title.

His abridged work on fiqh is based on a radio series. His book on creed originated from a program broadcast on Riyadh radio. His manual on tawhid was commissioned by the Ministry of Education for high school classes. Other texts are course materials written for the scientific institutes at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud University.

This background explains a quality that French-speaking readers appreciate without always knowing where it comes from: his books are structured like lectures. They feature gradual progression, short chapters, definitions provided before the argument, and summaries. Where other authors assume prior knowledge, he systematically lays the groundwork. This is what makes him, in our catalog, one of the most accessible authors for anyone approaching fiqh in Arabic.

الملخص الفقهي

The two-volume compendium of fiqh, covering acts of worship followed by legal transactions, is organized according to the structure of late Hanbali works. This is the title through which most students are introduced to his work and is undoubtedly the most widely circulated contemporary fiqh textbook in Arabic.

Guidance to Correct Belief and a Response to the People of Polytheism and Atheism

His exposition on belief, derived from a radio series. The short format of the chapters, inherited from the broadcast, makes it a particularly readable text.

كتاب التوحيد

A textbook written at the request of the Ministry of Education for secondary education. Not to be confused with the classic work of the same name by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, on which he also wrote a commentary.

A Guide for the Student: Commentary on the Book of Tawhid

His commentary on the classic treatise. The original text is reproduced in its entirety, followed by the explanation, allowing readers to study it without needing another edition of the matn.

Foods: What Is Permissible and What Is Prohibited, Based on Evidence

His published doctoral dissertation. A work of applied fiqh, useful well beyond the academic setting for anyone interested in dietary rules and their rationales.

الخطب المنبرية

A multi-volume collection of his sermons. A different reading experience from his previous works: shorter sentences, more concrete vocabulary, and themes from everyday life. An excellent resource for practicing continuous reading.

In addition are his commentaries on classical texts of aqidah and fiqh, his collections of fatwas organized by topic, as well as his responses and clarifications published over the years.

Matn or Sharh: What to Check Before Ordering

A significant portion of his work consists of commentaries on classical texts. This leads to recurring confusion when purchasing his works—a situation distinct from that encountered with other authors.

A matn is the base text, often very brief, sometimes just a few dozen pages long. A charh is its commentary, which can span several volumes. The problem lies with the cover: both frequently bear the same main title, and a buyer in a hurry might order a 60-page matn alone, believing they are receiving the commentary—or vice versa.

The rule at My Maktaba is simple: we systematically indicate on the product page whether it is the text alone or the commentary, along with the actual page count and the number of volumes. When in doubt, the number of pages is the best indicator. A commentary by Sheikh al-Fawzan on a classical treatise is never sixty pages long.

Good news for beginners: his commentaries almost always reproduce the original text in its entirety, sentence by sentence, before explaining it. So you don’t need to buy the matn separately.

Buy Sheikh al-Fawzan’s Books in Arabic

All books sold by My Maktaba are in Arabic, in their original editions, and all are brand new. For each of the Sheikh’s titles, the product listing indicates the publisher, year, number of volumes, format, binding type, and vowelization status.

In terms of the required reading level, this author stands out as a welcome exception. His language is that of a teacher addressing high school students and fi