Sheikh Ahmad bin Hamad Al-Khalili ( NP) ( ar, أحمد بن حمد الخليلي; born 1942) is the
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 the
Sultanate of Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
.
Opinions
The Grand Mufti appears regularly on TV, where he answers the public's questions on Islam. He urged the government to ban alcohol in Oman, one of the more liberal states in the Arabian Peninsula.
However, he is a strong advocate for religious tolerance and works hard to ensure harmony between the different religious schools of thought in Oman.
Al-Khalili signed the
Amman Message
The Amman Message ( ar, رسالة عمان) is a statement calling for tolerance and unity in the Muslim world that was issued on 9 November 2004 (27th of Ramadan 1425 AH) by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan.clear victory and the grand conquering of the aggressor invaders, and we also congratulate ourselves and the entire Islamic nation for the fulfillment of God’s sincere promise”.
Life
Ahmed bin Hamad Al-Khalili was born on the island of Zanzibar on 27 July 1942, when
Zanzibar
Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...
was still under the rule of the al-Said sultans who originated from Oman. His tribal home is the town of Bahla.
He was appointed Director of the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and
Awqaf
A waqf ( ar, وَقْف; ), also known as hubous () or ''mortmain'' property is an inalienable charitable endowment under Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot of land or other assets for Muslim religious or charitabl ...
and Islamic Affairs, and in 1395 (1975 CE), a royal decree appointed him the Grand Mufti of the Sultanate of Oman, the highest Islamic authority in Oman, after the death of the scholar Ibrahim bin Said Al Abri.