Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh (born 1948) is the chairman of the

Majlis ash-Shura In Arab culture, a Majlis-ash-Shura ( ar, مجلس الشورى; Shura Council in English) is an advisory council or consultative council. In Islamic context, the Majlis-ash-Shura is one of two ways that a khalifa (Islamic leader) may be selected, ...

(Consultative Assembly) of

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

since February 2009.The Shura Council of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - A Brief History
/ref> He was the minister of Justice from February 1992 to February 2009.

Background and education

Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh is a member of a noted family of Saudi religious scholars, the Al ash-Sheikh. He was born in

Diriyah Diriyah ( ar, الدِرْعِيّة), formerly romanized as Dereyeh and Dariyya), is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the north-western outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, and served ...

in 1948 and was educated by his father,

Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh Muḥammad ibn ʾIbrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb Al Shaykh Al-Tamīmī (1890–1969), was a Saudi Arabian religious scholar who was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1953 to ...

former

Grand Mufti The Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is the head of regional muftis, Islamic jurisconsults, of a state. The office originated in the early modern era in the Ottoman empire and has been later adopted in a num ...

of Saudi Arabia. He also studied the interpretation of the Quran and jurisprudence principles with the late Sheikh Abdulrazaq Afifi. He attended the Shariah College in

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...

(later renamed

Imam Muhammad Bin Saud Islamic University Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (), commonly known as Al-Imam University, is a public university in Baladiyah al-Shemal in northern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1953. represented by the College of Sharia Sciences (n ...

) and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sharia in 1975. He then studied Sharia at Al-Azhar University in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

and returned to Saudi Arabia to obtain a doctorate degree in 1987. He earned his PhD degree in

Fiqh ''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh. The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...

from Imam Mohammed bin Saudi University in 1987.

Career

After obtaining his doctorate, Al ash-Sheikh became a lecturer and professor in the Sharia College of Imam Muhammed bin Saud Islamic University until his appointment as minister of justice. in November 1992. He replaced Muhammad Al Jubair as minister. On the instructions of the King, he drew up the judiary law of 2007. These reforms envisaged the creation of specialized courts to operate in parallel with the traditional sharia courts, particularly in areas of commercial litigation. In effect, the reform may allow certain cases to be judged without reference to Sharia. Another important aspect of the reform was the creation of a Supreme Court. The laws covering the judicial reforms were passed in October 2007, but implementation was slow. Al ash-Sheikh announced in July 2008 that he had submitted a plan of action for the judiciary reforms to the King, but little was heard further until it was announced in 2009 that he would cease to be minister of justice in a major cabinet reshuffle. He was replaced by Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa as justice minister on 14 February 2009. It was reported that King Abdullah's objective in the reshuffle was to replace conservative incumbents with younger, more progressive candidates. It was also stated that he was one of the conservatives in the cabinet replaced. Later, he was appointed chairman of the Majlis ash Shura in 2009.

Other appointments

He is a member of Council of Senior Ulema and the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ash-Sheikh, Abdullah ibn Muhammad 20th-century Saudi Arabian politicians 21st-century Saudi Arabian politicians 1948 births Al-Azhar University alumni Government ministers of Saudi Arabia Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University alumni Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University faculty Justice ministers of Saudi Arabia Living people Members of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia Speakers of the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian expatriates in Egypt