Sheikh Ali Al-Hudhaify to Deliver the Arafat Sermon at Hajj 2026
King Salman appoints the longtime Imam of the Prophet’s MosqueSheikh Ali Al-Hudhaify to lead one of Islam’s most anticipated sermons
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud has named Sheikh Ali bin Abdur Rahman Al-Hudhaify to deliver the Arafat Khutbah this Hajj season. The Royal Court made the announcement on May 18, 2026. The sermon itself is scheduled for 26 May 2026 — the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah — at Masjid al-Namirah on the plains of Arafat.
Sheikh Al-Hudhaify is currently the Imam and Khateeb of Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. He has held that position since 1979 — nearly five decades of leading the congregation at one of Islam’s most visited sites.
What happens on the Day of Arahah?
The Arafat sermon is not just another Friday khutbah. It is delivered on the day the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ addressed his companions on these same plains during his Farewell Pilgrimage, over 1,400 years ago. The sermon draws on that occasion directly — touching on repentance, mercy, and what the day asks of every pilgrim who has made the journey.
After the sermon, Dhuhr and Asr prayers are combined and shortened. Then millions of pilgrims spread across Arafat in du’a until sunset. The Prophet ﷺ put it plainly: “Hajj is Arafah.” That one sentence explains why this day — and this sermon — carries so much weight.
The khutbah is also broadcast live worldwide in multiple languages. For Muslims who are not in Makkah, it is often the closest they get to the feeling of being there.
Who Sheikh Al-Hudhaify is
He was born on May 22, 1947 in Al-Qarn Al-Mustaqim in Mecca Province. He studied Islamic law at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, graduating in 1972, then went to Al-Azhar University in Cairo for his master’s and doctorate, finishing in 1975.
His appointment at Masjid an-Nabawi came four years later, in 1979. During Ramadan 1981, he led Tarawih prayers at Masjid al-Haram in Makkah before returning to Madinah. He briefly served as Imam and Khateeb at Quba Mosque in 1987 as well.
Beyond his roles in leading prayers, he is widely known across the Muslim world for his Quran recitation — a slow, measured style that has made him one of the most recognised reciters of his generation.
Just how rare this appointment is
The Arafat Khutbah has been delivered by only 16 scholars over the past 100 years. That figure, reported by Saudi Press Agency, gives you a sense of how carefully Saudi authorities guard the appointment.
In recent years, the role has rotated among senior scholars and mosque imams. Sheikh Maher bin Hamad Al-Muaiqly, Imam of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, delivered it in 2024. Before him: Yusuf bin Saeed in 2023, Mohammed al-Essa in 2022, Bandar Baleela in 2021, and Abdullah al-Manea in 2020. The list goes back further — Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Asheikh held the role for over three decades, from 1982 to 2015.
Sheikh Al-Hudhaify now joins that group.
For pilgrims heading to Hajj this year
The Day of Arafat is, for most pilgrims, the moment they have been building toward — sometimes for years, sometimes a lifetime. Standing on the same ground where the Prophet ﷺ spoke his final address is not something most people walk away from unchanged.
Knowing who will deliver that sermon, and something of who he is, adds a layer to what pilgrims will experience when they hear his voice rise from the pulpit of Masjid al-Namirah on 27 May 2026.
Hajj 1447 AH begins in 26 May 2026. The Day of Arafat falls on 27 May 2026.
