List of Current Imams of Masjid an Nabawi

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List of Current Imams of Masjid an Nabawi

Masjid an Nabawi holds a number of great imams. Here is the detail of every Imam in Masjid an-Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque).

List of imams at Masjid an-Nabawi as of 2026

1. Sheikh Ali Hudaify

Sheikh Ḥusayn bin ʿAbdul‑ʿAzīz Āl al‑Shaykh (حسين بن عبدالعزيز آل الشيخ) was born in 1384 AH (1964 CE). He studied at the College of Sharia in Riyadh, graduating among the top students, and went on to earn both master’s and doctoral degrees at the High Institute of Judiciary (Imam Muhammad bin Saud University).

Alongside his academic studies he learned from prominent scholars such as Abdullah al‑Jibrin, Abd al‑Aziz Dawood and Abdullah al‑Ghudayyan.

After beginning his judicial career as a trainee in 1406 AH, he was appointed judge in Najran in 1411 and transferred to the High Court in Riyadh in 1412.

On 25 Shaʿbān 1418 AH he moved to the Grand Court of Medina, and a royal decree soon afterwards made him Imam and Khaṭīb of the Prophet’s Mosque (al‑Masjid an‑Nabawi).

He has held this position since 1997 and was appointed a religious teacher at the mosque in 1998 while continuing to serve as a judge and later as a Court of Appeals judge.

2. Sheikh Hussain Ale Sheikh

Sheikh Ḥusayn bin ʿAbdul‑ʿAzīz Āl al‑Shaykh (حسين بن عبدالعزيز آل الشيخ) was born in 1384 AH (1964 CE) into the renowned Al‑Sheikh family, descendants of Sheikh Muhammad ibn ʿAbdul‑Wahhāb.

He studied at the College of Sharia in Riyadh, graduating among the top students, and went on to earn both master’s and doctoral degrees at the High Institute of Judiciary (Imam Muhammad bin Saud University).

Alongside his academic studies he learned from prominent scholars such as Abdullah al‑Jibrin, Abd al‑Aziz Dawood and Abdullah al‑Ghudayyan , and he gave lessons in fiqh, tawḥīd and hadith in Riyadh.

After beginning his judicial career as a trainee in 1406 AH, he was appointed judge in Najran in 1411 and transferred to the High Court in Riyadh in 1412. On 25 Shaʿbān 1418 AH he moved to the Grand Court of Medina, and a royal decree soon afterwards made him Imam and Khaṭīb of the Prophet’s Mosque (al‑Masjid an‑Nabawi).

He has held this position since 1997 and was appointed a religious teacher at the mosque in 1998 while continuing to serve as a judge and later as a Court of Appeals judge.

3. Sheikh Salah Al Budair

Sheikh Salah bin Muhammad Al‑Budair was born in 1970 in Al‑Hofuf, Saudi Arabia , memorised the Qur’an by 14 and studied Sharia at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University before training at the High Institute of Judiciary.

He began leading prayers in 1985 while still in high school and served as an imam in Dammam and Riyadh before being appointed a judge and eventually moving to Madinah.

A royal decree in 1998 (1419 AH) made him an Imam and Khatib of the Prophet’s Mosque, a position he still holds alongside his judicial duties. He has occasionally led Tarawih prayers in Mecca’s Grand Mosque (2005–2006) and earned a doctorate in Islamic studies from King Faisal University in 2023 .

4. Sheikh Abdul Bari Thubaity

Abdul Bari bin Awadh al‑Thubaiti was born in Mecca on 15 July 1960. He memorized the Qur’an in childhood and was teaching it while still a boy.

After early schooling in Mecca, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from King Abdulaziz University in 1984, followed by a higher diploma in Islamic law in 1989, a master’s degree in Sharia in 1994, and a PhD in Islamic jurisprudence from the Islamic University of Madinah in 2001.

By his teens he was already an imam in a local mosque and led Tarawih prayers abroad; he also excelled in national and international Qur’an competitions.

He teaches as an associate professor at the Institute of Imams and Preachers at Taibah University and chairs the executive committee of the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Endowment.

5. Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al Qasim

Sheikh Abdul Muhsin ibn Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahman Al‑Qasim (أبو محمد عبد المحسن بن محمد القاسم) comes from the ʿĀṣim family of the Qaḥṭān tribe. He was born in Makkah in 1967 (1388 AH) while his father, the scholar Muhammad bin Abdur Rahman Al‑Qasim, was staying there to supervise the printing of the Fatawa of Shaykh al‑Islam Ibn Taymiyyah .

He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Sharia from the Faculty of Sharia in Riyadh, followed by a master’s degree in comparative fiqh at the Higher Judicial Institute. He completed his doctorate (PhD) in comparative fiqh with distinction and a recommendation for publication.

6. Sheikh Abdullah Al Buayjan

Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdulrahman bin Sulaiman Al-Bu’ayjān (عبدالله بن عبدالرحمن بن سليمان البعيجان) serves as an Imam and Khatib of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah. His birth year as 1399 AH (1979 CE).

He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Sharia from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University (noted as 1422 AH in one bio), and continued postgraduate study at the Higher Institute of Judiciary, with a master’s in Shari‘ah policy/systems.

He is also described officially as a faculty member at the Islamic University of Madinah (College of Sharia), and the Presidency of Religious Affairs profile notes a royal decree appointing him as an official imam of the Prophet’s Mosque dated 4 Dhu al-Hijjah 1434 AH (commonly reported as 2013).

7. Sheikh Ahmad Hudaify

Sheikh Ahmad bin Ali bin Abdulrahman Al-Hudhaify (أحمد بن علي الحذيفي) is a Saudi imam, khateeb, and Qur’an reciter, and the son of the well-known Masjid an-Nabawi imam Sheikh Ali bin Abdulrahman Al-Hudhaify.

He also served as an imam and khateeb at Quba Mosque in Madinah before serving as an imam and khateeb at Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, and he has also been associated with teaching/academic work in Madinah (including Taibah University and the Islamic University of Madinah).

He earned Master’s and PhD degrees from the Islamic University of Madinah with high distinction, and that he was assigned to lead Taraweeh at the Prophet’s Mosque in Ramadan 1438 AH, continuing in later Ramadans, before being appointed as an official imam in 1441 AH.

8. Sheikh Khalid Muhanna

Sheikh Khalid bin Suleiman Al-Muhanna Al-Shammari (خالد بن سليمان آل مهنا الشمري), born in 1396 AH / 1976 CE. He is also an academic affiliated with Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

9. Sheikh Abdullah Al Qurafi

Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Qarafi (often written Abdullah Al Qurafi / القرافي) is a Saudi Qur’an reciter and religious figure who became widely known to the public through his prayer leadership and recitations broadcast from Madinah.

His name is frequently associated with Qur’anic tilawah recordings and live prayer transmissions, where listeners note his composed, measured delivery.

10. Sheikh Muhammad Barhaji

Sheikh Muhammad bin Ahmed Barhaji (محمد بن أحمد برهاجي) is a Saudi Qur’an reciter and Islamic academic who is described as “Sheikh Prof. Dr.” and identified as a professor of Qur’anic readings (القراءات القرآنية) at Taibah University in Madinah.

He rose to wider public attention after being appointed as an Imam of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque) in Madinah.

11. Sheikh Saleh Al-Maghamsi

Sheikh Saleh bin Awad Al-Maghamsi (صالح بن عواد المغامسي) is a Saudi Sunni Islamic scholar and Qur’an interpreter born on 17 November 1963 in the Al-Madinah region of Saudi Arabia.

He pursued his studies in Arabic language and Islamic sciences at King Abdul Aziz University, later deepening his religious knowledge under prominent scholars such as Ibn Baaz, Ibn Uthaymeen, Abu Bakr Al-Jazairi, and Mohammed Attia Salem.

Sheikh Al-Maghamsi served as Imam and Khatib of Quba Mosque in Madinah. He has also worked as a lecturer at Taibah University and served as Director of the Center for Research and Studies in Madinah, in addition to hosting several Islamic programs on Saudi and Gulf television channels. In 2026, a royal decree appointed him as an Imam of Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi (the Prophet’s Mosque).

These imams not only lead the daily prayers at Masjid an Nabawi but also play vital roles in offering religious guidance and support to the global Muslim community.

List of Current Imams of Masjid an Nabawi
Zahra Ashfaq.