Sheikh Bandar Baleelah

Sheikh Bandar Baleelah is one of the official imams at the Grand Mosque in Makkah by a royal decree issued in October 2013. Sheikh Baleelah was assigned to deliver the sermon on Arafat Day by a royal decree from King Salman.

He has also been an associate professor of Shariah law at the College of Shariah and Regulations in Taif University since 2009.

Born in 1975 in Makkah, Sheikh Baleelah memorized the entire Qur’an while still a child. He gained proficiency in its recitation through the lessons of several recognized Qur’an teachers.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Umm Al-Qura University in 1996, where he studied Islamic law at Shariah College. He then completed a master’s degree in Islamic jurisprudence from the same university and graduated with first-class honors.

Baleelah also obtained a Ph.D. from the Islamic University of Madinah in 2008 with first-class honors.

He worked as an associate teacher of Islamic jurisprudence at the Academic Institute of the Grand Mosque in Makkah. He has authored numerous books and research papers related to his field.

Before becoming a Grand Mosque imam, he worked as an imam (leading prayers) and khateeb (delivering sermons) at numerous mosques throughout Makkah. The latest was Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Baz Mosque in the Ash-Shishah district of Makkah.

He first led the Taraaweeh prayers during Ramadan nights at the Grand Mosque in 2013 and began delivering Friday sermons in 2019 by royal decree.

Furthermore, another royal decree appointed Sheikh Baleelah as a member of the Council of Senior Scholars in October 2020.