The appointment was made through a royal decree issued on October 23.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the royal decree was issued by King Salman on the recommendation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Under the royal decree, Sheikh Saleh Al Fawzan will serve as the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia and chairman of the Council of Senior Scholars.

He will also head the General Presidency for Scholarly Research and Ifta, a position equivalent in rank to that of a minister.

The appointment comes following the death of the former Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz Al Sheikh, who passed away on September 23 at the age of 84.

Sheikh Abdulaziz had served as the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti since 1999 and was regarded as one of the most respected scholars in the Islamic world.