Shaikh Abdul Rahman Abdul Aziz As-Sudais Ph.D born 10 February 1960 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia) is the imam of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia; the president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; a renowned qāriʾ (reciter of the Qur'an); and was the Dubai International Holy Qur'an Award's "Islamic Personality Of the Year" in 2005. Al-Sudais has preached Islam's opposition to "explosions and terrorism", and has called for peaceful inter-faith dialogue. When accepting his award in Dubai, he said: "The message of Islam and Muslims is modesty, fairness, security, stability, sympathy, harmony and kindness." Al-Sudais comes from the Anazzah clan, and he had memorized the Quran by the age of 12. Growing up in Riyadh, Al-Sudais studied at the Al Muthana Bin Harith Elementary School, and afterwards the Riyadh Scientific Institution from which he graduated in 1979 with a grade of excellent. He obtained a degree in Sharia from Riyadh University in 1983, his Master's in Islamic fundamentals from the Sharia College of Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in 1987 and received his Ph.D. in Islamic Sharia from Umm al-Qura University in 1995 while working there as an assistant professor after serving at Riyadh University. Sudais took up his imamate in 1984, at just 22-years of age, and conducted his first sermon at the Grand Mosque in Mecca in July 1984, other than this Sheikh Saud Al-Shuraim - has been his partner in Taraweeh Prayers from 1991 till 2006, and again in 2014. In 2005, Al-Sudais was named by the Dubai International Holy Quran Award (DIHQA) Organising Committee as its 9th annual "Islamic Personality Of the Year" in recognition of his devotion to the Quran and Islam. He was appointed head of the "Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques at the rank of minister" by royal decree on 8 May 2012. He is also a member of the Arabic Language Academy at Mecca.

---