Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais عبد الرحمن بن عبد العزيز السديس

Sheikh Abdul Rahman ibn Abdul Aziz al-Sudais (born 1962, 1382 AH) is an imam and khatib of the Masjid al-Haram, the Grand Mosque in Mecca. He was appointed an imam there in 1984, and in 2012 was made President of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, a post carrying ministerial rank.

In 2005 (1426 AH) he was named "Islamic Personality of the Year" at the Dubai International Holy Quran Award.

Al-Sudais memorised the Quran at the age of twelve and graduated from the College of Sharia in 1403 AH (1982/83), after which he became a teaching assistant in the department of usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence). He earned a master's degree from Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University and a doctorate from the College of Sharia at Umm Al-Qura University, later attaining a full professorship in usul al-fiqh there and serving as a professor in 1433 AH (2011/12).

He delivered the Arafat sermon at Namirah Mosque during the Hajj of 2016. On 21 Muharram 1445 AH (8 August 2023) a royal order appointed him head, with ministerial rank, of the newly created Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.

Al-Sudais recites in a measured, tajwīd-precise murattal with a deep, resonant voice that carries real emotional weight, especially in du'ā. His is not the heavy ornamentation of the Egyptian school but a controlled, dignified line suited to leading tens of thousands in prayer.

To recognise him by ear, listen for a deep, steady register; careful, even pacing with crisp tajwīd; and a characteristic catch of emotion in the qunūt supplications that became famous through Grand Mosque broadcasts. If a recitation sounds like a Ramadan night prayer from Mecca, it is very often him.