Saleh Al-Maghamsi

Saleh bin Awad al-Maghamsi is a Saudi scholar, preacher and Qur'an exegete, born on 17 November 1963, corresponding to 1 Rajab 1383 AH. He is known for his lessons in Qur'an interpretation at Quba Mosque in Medina, released in five albums under the title Ta'ammulat Qur'aniyya (Qur'anic Reflections), and for televised programmes in exegesis and preaching on several Arab channels. ^{1 2}

In February 2026 he was appointed by royal decree as an imam of the Prophet's Mosque, where he led his first Isha prayer on 21 February 2026, having served as imam and khatib of Quba Mosque from about 2006. ¹

Al-Maghamsi was born in the village of Khayf al-Huzami in Wadi al-Safra, in Badr Governorate west of Medina, then moved to Medina, living in the Bab al-Kawma quarter, and completed his primary, intermediate and secondary schooling there. ²

His university stage was at King Abdulaziz University, Medina branch, in the Department of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies, his study specialisation being Arabic language. ^{2 1}

He studied under scholars including Atiyya Muhammad Salem and Abu Bakr al-Jaza'iri, and had opportunities to meet Ibn Uthaymin and a limited number of meetings with Ibn Baz. Muhammad al-Amin al-Shanqiti was his neighbour but died before Al-Maghamsi turned eleven, so he made up for it by devoting himself to al-Shanqiti's books. ^{2 1}

His kunya is Abu Hashim, after his eldest son. ²

Al-Maghamsi first led prayers at the Al-Salam Mosque in Medina and remained its imam for twenty years. ²

He then held a sequence of posts, as his published biography and the assabile biography record them: educational supervisor in the Arabic Language Department of the Medina education directorate in 1992 (about 1991 in the other account); member of the Islamic Awareness Commission for Hajj about 1994; khatib at King Abdul Aziz Mosque in Medina in 1422 AH (about 2001); and member of the International Commission on Scientific Signs in the Qur'an and Sunna in 1426 AH (about 2005). ^{2 1}

He became imam of Quba Mosque about 2006 and remained in its imamate and khutba until March 2020. He was appointed official mufti for Saudi Television Channel 1 the following year, general manager of the Center for Research and Studies in Medina about 2010, and lecturer at the Superior Institute of Imams and Orators at Taibah University about 2011; he is also a faculty member of Taibah University's College of Education. ^{1 2}

In February 2026 a royal decree appointed Al-Maghamsi an imam of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and he led the Isha prayer there for the first time on 21 February 2026, as the Saudi Gazette and The Times of India reported, according to the English article. ¹

• Ta'ammulat Qur'aniyya (Qur'anic Reflections): recordings of his weekly exegesis lesson at Quba Mosque, produced by Al-Faliheen recordings and released in five albums. ²
• Mahasin al-Ta'wil (Pros of Interpretation): a weekly exegesis programme on Al-Majd Scientific channel. ²
• Qutuf Daniya (Close Clusters): a televised monthly meeting on Al-Majd channel. ²
• Majma' al-Bahrayn (Bahrain Complex): a series of thirteen half-hour episodes on Al-Majd Scientific channel. ^{2 1}
• Al-Maqam al-Amin (The Secretary Place): on Qatar Television. ²
• Ma'a al-Qur'an (With the Qur'an): on Saudi Television during Ramadan. ²
• Al-'Urjun al-Qadim: a live programme every Friday on Iqraa channel. ²
• Al-Baqiyat al-Salihat: a live programme every Saturday on Dubai TV. ²
• He also holds monthly classes in Jeddah, which the English article records with a "citation needed" flag. ¹

His official website is Al-Rasekhoon fi Al-Elm ("Steadfast in Knowledge"); according to the site, its name comes from a verse of the Qur'an, and it aims to explicate the meanings of the Qur'an without neglecting the Sunna. ¹

This section sets out positions as reported in the sources. It is not a verdict by the museum.

Closeness to King Salman. Foreign Policy magazine, as the English article reports it, described Al-Maghamsi as having close connections with King Salman: the king had headed the supervisory board of the Medina research center Al-Maghamsi directed, sponsored and attended a large cultural festival the preacher organised a year after his controversial comments on bin Laden, and Al-Maghamsi advises two of the king's sons. ¹

The bin Laden statement. On 27 March 2012, on Qatar Television, Al-Maghamsi stated that although Osama bin Laden's organisation did great harm to the Muslim nation (umma), bin Laden "has more sanctity and honor than any infidel" — infidel being defined by him as "Jews, Christians, Zoroastrians, apostates, and atheists", as MEMRI's clip and the article record. ¹

Other reported positions. In the 2014 controversy over the face veil he said it is "always better to be modest", while admitting that not all scholars agree women must cover the face. In 2016 he stated that listening to music is not haram, and expressed the view that non-Muslims should be permitted to enter Mecca, as Al Arabiya English reported and the article carries. He has also said that taking care of historical mosques is an act of worship, not an unorthodox practice. ¹

His kunya is Abu Hashim, after his eldest son; the museum publishes no family detail beyond what understanding his work requires. ²

Al-Maghamsi became known for an accessible style of exegesis, and his lessons travelled from Quba Mosque — the first mosque founded in Islam — to many Arab and Gulf screens, until he became an imam of the Prophet's Mosque, among the most senior imamates in the Muslim world. ^{1 2}

His lectures and lessons are broadcast on the Al-Rasekhoon YouTube channel (@alrasekhoon), whose About states that it is run through the Al-Rasekhoon website, his official website, as the channel stood when checked on 25 October 2026. ³

• The defined source entities cited above, recorded in data/source/.