Abdul-Rahman al-Barrak
Encyclopedia
Shaikh ‘Abdul-Rahman bin Nasir al-Barrak is a senior Saudi cleric, close to the royal family
. Born in the town of Al Bukayriah in the Al-Qassim Province, al-Barrak lost his father at an early age and was stricken with blindness at the age of 9. After two years of religious studies under Sheikh Ibn Baz
, he joined the faculty at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University
around the time of its founding in the early 1950s, working in the Theology Department and in the College of Sharia Law.
In 1994, al-Barrak and other Saudi clerics were mentioned by name and praised by Osama bin Laden
for opposing then-Grand Mufti
Ibn Baz in his Open Letter to Shaykh Bin Baz on the Invalidity of his Fatwa on Peace with the Jews.
."
In March 2008, al-Barrak issued a fatwa that two writers for the newspaper Al-Riyadh, Abdullah bin Bejad al-Otaibi and Yousef Aba al-Khail, should be tried for apostasy for their "heretical articles" regarding the categorization of "unbelievers" and put to death if they did not repent.
House of Saud
The House of Saud , also called the Al Saud, is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia and one of the wealthiest and most powerful dynasties in the world. The family holds thousands of members...
. Born in the town of Al Bukayriah in the Al-Qassim Province, al-Barrak lost his father at an early age and was stricken with blindness at the age of 9. After two years of religious studies under Sheikh Ibn Baz
Abd-al-Aziz ibn Abd-Allah ibn Baaz
Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah ibn Baz , was a Saudi Arabian Islamic scholar, considered as one of the renowned Sunni Muslim scholars of the twentieth century...
, he joined the faculty at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University
Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University
Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was founded in 1953. In 1974 it was granted university status by royal decree. The university houses 10 faculties. It currently has more than 24,000 students and 1,300 faculty...
around the time of its founding in the early 1950s, working in the Theology Department and in the College of Sharia Law.
In 1994, al-Barrak and other Saudi clerics were mentioned by name and praised by Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
for opposing then-Grand Mufti
Grand Mufti
The title of Grand Mufti refers to the highest official of religious law in a Sunni or Ibadi Muslim country. The Grand Mufti issues legal opinions and edicts, fatwā, on interpretations of Islamic law for private clients or to assist judges in deciding cases...
Ibn Baz in his Open Letter to Shaykh Bin Baz on the Invalidity of his Fatwa on Peace with the Jews.
Fatwas
Al-Barrak has drawn attention for issuing controversial fatwas, or religious edicts. One such fatwa called for strict gender segregation. The fatwa states, "Whoever allows this mixing ... allows forbidden things, and whoever allows them is an infidel and this means defection from Islam ... Either he retracts or he must be killed ... because he disavows and does not observe the ShariaSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
."
In March 2008, al-Barrak issued a fatwa that two writers for the newspaper Al-Riyadh, Abdullah bin Bejad al-Otaibi and Yousef Aba al-Khail, should be tried for apostasy for their "heretical articles" regarding the categorization of "unbelievers" and put to death if they did not repent.