Islamic Community Directory

About Islamic Directory

The Islamic Directory focuses on the important institutions and individuals that comprise Saudi Arabia's Muslim community. The directory includes biographic information on about 1,500 scholars and shaykhs. This list includes members of government-sponsored committees like the Senior Council of the Ulema and Ifta, professors in the Kingdom's Islamic universities, well-known preachers, and critics of the regime. more...

Feature Article

Senior Ulama Shaykh-Up: Who's Out / Who's In

By Richard Smith

On Saturday, Feburary 14th 2009, King Abdallah implemented a broad restructuring of the Saudi government that included the appointments and dismissals from the highest body of Saudi Arabia's religious establishment.

Misfar marriage is unlawful, says Grand Mufti
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, Grand Mufti of the Kingdom, has warned against 'misfar' marriage saying it is no different to 'mut'a'Â marriage conducted in order to 'fulfill desires unlawfully' The Grand Mufti said that traveling abroad to 'marry with the intention of divorcing upon return'Â is haram

Saudi judges study UK courts
Prince Bandar Bin Salman Al-Saud, Adviser to the King and Chairman of the Saudi Arbitration Team, and a group of three Saudi judges are conducting a tour of the work of the United Kingdomâ€™s Supreme Court in London. The delegation has been given insight into the courtâ€™s work and its various departments by President of the Supreme Court Lord Nicholas

Saudi Arabia- Revenue from Umrah likely to reach SR12b
Umrah service providers in the Kingdom expect a substantial increase in the number of foreign pilgrims who will come for Umrah this year. The Haj Ministry has already issued more than 150,000 visas since the beginning of this year's Umrah season. Moreover, hotels and furnished apartments in Makkah are witnessing 100 percent occupancy. According to one source, revenue from Umrah traffic are expected to reach SR12 billion by the end of the year. The peak season for the noncompulsory pilgrimage is Ramadan. The increase in occupancy was not limited to five-star or three-star hotels but covered furnished apartments in Makkah's central region. A business analyst said the services being offered by Umrah companies have played a big role in attracting a large number of pilgrims this year. This will help them offset the losses they suffered last year as result of the global recession and the impact of swine flu.

'Tangible results' of Hay'a training assured
The public has been assured that they will 'soon notice tangible changes' resulting from the extensive training programs being given to staff from the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Hay'a) across the country.

Al-Barrak's 'death fatwa'
Sheikh Qais Aal Al-Sheikh Mubarak, a member of the Board of Senior Ulema, has said that it is not permissible to pronounce 'takfeerâ€œ accusing Muslims of unbelief on those who permit 'disputable issues'â‚¬Â on which scholars are not unanimous. A judge from the Ministry of Justice has also said that Ã¢â‚¬Å“takfeer rulingsÃ¢â‚¬Â may only be issued by the courts of the judiciary.

Saudi Arabia's Awakening Shakyhs: Where are they Today?

During the 1990's a younger generation of Saudi religious shaykhs rose to prominence on a wave of anti-Western rhetoric and criticism of Saudi government policies. A government crackdown in 1994 put some of the most prominent members of the Awakening movement in prison for the rest of the decade. Since their release, most have lost their positions within the Saudi religious-educational bureaucracy, but many have been able to resume a public, if more subdued role within the religious community.