RIYADH/JEDDAH/BISHA – , one of the Kingdom’s senior Ulema and a former member in the Ifta Permanent Committee, died Monday at King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh after prolonged illness.
Funeral prayers will be performed Tuesday noon at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh.
Sheikh Jibreen, 78, was initially treated in Germany upon directives from King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. He returned to complete the treatment in the Kingdom.
One of the sheikh’s companions at the hospital said his heart stopped on Sunday but revived after electric shocks. There was no response when the heart stopped again on Monday, he said, noting the sheikh experienced a relapse last week and his condition deteriorated after an artery surgery. He added that the deceased also suffered complications of lung inflammation.
Several Ulema and thinkers expressed sorrow on the death of Sheikh Al-Jibreen and prayed to Allah to bestow His mercy on him and grant patience to his family members, relatives, students and the Muslim Ummah.
Dr. Muhammad Bin Saad Al-Shuwai’er, Adviser to the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, said the Muslim Ummah owes Sheikh Al-Jibreen a right – that is, to pray that Allah bestow His mercy on him.
Sheikh Ali Abbas Al-Hakami, member of the Board of Senior Ulema, said Sheikh Al-Jibreen contributed greatly in explaining the rules of the Shariah.
“His death is a great loss for Islam,” he said urging all Muslims to pray for his soul.
Dr. Saad Mattar Al-Otaibi, Professor of Shariah Policy at the Higher Institute for the Judiciary and one of the students of Sheikh Al-Jibreen, said the late scholar used to move from place to place to spread his knowledge to others. He added that once he tried to calculate the number of lessons the late sheikh used to give. They reached about 45 lessons in a month. He was known for being ascetic (observing Zuhd) and refraining from worldly appearances. He was one of the authorities of the Shariah sciences, and had vast knowledge.
Dr. Mahmood Zaini, member of the teaching staff of Umm Al-Qura University, said the death of Sheikh Al-Jibreen is a tragedy for the Muslim Ummah and religious scholars in the Shariah. He prayed to Allah to bestow His mercy on him and make paradise his abode.
Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jibreen was born in 1933 in one of the villages of Al-Quwai’iah. He grew up in Ar-Reen town and started his education in 1940. He started memorizing the Holy Qur’an with the help of his father and completed the memorization through Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Shithri. He also memorized several religious references. He used to attend lessons by senior Ulema on studying books on the Shariah, literature and history.
He got his secondary school certificate in 1958, a bachelors degree in Shariah in 1961, masters degree in 1970 from the Higher Institute for the Judiciary, and a doctorate with excellent grade and honors in 1987. Several judges, teachers and religious callers were taught by him.
He accompanied the late Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz in most of his lessons in the Grand Mosque and used to give sermons and lead prayers on his behalf at times. – Okaz/SG
– Na’eem Al-Hakeem, Abdullah Al-Dani and Muhammad Aal Mashout contributed to this report