This year, the Hajj khutbah will be delivered by Sheikh Dr. Maher Al Muayqali, the Imam and Khatib of the Holy Mosque (Masjid al-Haram) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. He will deliver this significant sermon from Masjid-e-Namirah in the plains of Arafat. Dr. Maher’s journey from a mathematics teacher to a prominent religious leader is truly remarkable.

According to Inside the Haramain, Dr. Maher Al Muayqali was born on January 7, 1969, in the holy city of Medina. After memorizing the Quran, he enrolled at Medina Teachers’ College, where he pursued higher education in mathematics and started his teaching career in the same field. In 2004 (1425 Hijri), he obtained a master’s degree from the Shariah Faculty of Umm al-Qura University in Mecca. Later, in 2012, he earned a doctorate from the same institution, focusing on the Shafi’i school’s book “Tuhfat al-Nabih Sharh al-Tanbih” by Imam Siraji.

Dr. Maher’s professional career began as an assistant professor in the Judicial Studies Department at Umm al-Qura. During Ramadan in 2005-2006 (1426-27 Hijri), he was appointed as an assistant Imam at the Prophet’s Mosque (Masjid an-Nabawi). By Ramadan 2007 (1428 Hijri), he was chosen to lead the Tarawih and Tahajjud prayers at Masjid al-Haram, and later that year, he was formally appointed as the permanent Imam of Masjid al-Haram. Sheikh Maher is globally renowned for his exceptional Quranic recitation.

Throughout his career, Dr. Maher has led Tarawih prayers with esteemed colleagues such as Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Sheikh Abdullah Awad Al-Juhani, and Sheikh Khalid Al-Ghamdi. In Ramadan 2016, following a royal decree from King Salman, he was appointed Khatib of Masjid al-Haram, delivering his first khutbah on July 15 of that year. In 2023, he was named Deputy Hajj Khatib at Masjid al-Namirah. This year (2024), he has been appointed to deliver the Arafat khutbah at Masjid al-Namirah.