Sheikh Abdullatif Ahmed Alfozan
King Faisal Prize in Service to Islam 2026 Laureate
Abdullatif bin Ahmed Alfozan was born in Al-Zulfi, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in 1937 and grew up in a well-established merchant family, which shaped his early path and exposed him to practical experience from a young age. With direct support from his father, he learned the details of trade and business management during a period when the Gulf region was witnessing strong economic growth. Sheikh Abdullatif Alfozan is now one of the prominent figures in business and social development in Saudi Arabia.
He later moved to Al-Khobar, where he founded Abdullatif and Mohammed Alfozan Company with his brother. Under his leadership and vision, the company grew into a major economic group with more than forty companies operating in industry, commerce, retail, and urban development, in addition to investments through Alfozan Holding. Alongside this growth, Sheikh Abdullatif remained committed to building strong nonprofit institutions. He established Ajwad Endowment as a platform for community sustainability, and launched Alfozan Community Service Program, which became a leading platform for social innovation and has reached more than one million beneficiaries across Saudi Arabia.
His contributions extended to education, health, and urban development, and Alfozan Academy at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals is one of his most notable initiatives, designed to prepare leaders for the nonprofit sector. He also founded the Abdullatif Alfozan Autism Center (Afaq), the largest of its kind in the Middle East, in addition to several health and rehabilitation centers in Al-Zulfi and Al-Khobar. In the field of architecture and urban development, he launched the Abdullatif Alfozan Award for Mosque Architecture, which became an international reference in documenting architectural innovation. He also established Mosqpedia, the first digital encyclopedia dedicated to mosque architecture, along with initiatives such as Mujassam Watan, affordable housing programs, and several environmental projects such as Ertiqa association for computer refurbishment.
Sheikh Abdullatif’s contributions continued beyond Saudi Arabia. His efforts include establishing Islamic centers in Eastern Europe, building mosques in India and Indonesia, digging wells, restoring schools in Syria in cooperation with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid And Relief Centre, and establishing a housing endowment for students of knowledge in Jordan. Through the award and the academy, he contributed to developing knowledge resources such as national guides for mosque construction, training courses, and professional standards for the nonprofit sector, which are now recognized as national references in Saudi Arabia.
Sheikh Abdullatif Alfozan has been widely recognized at the Arab and international levels, including an honorary award from The World Peace and Prosperity Foundation at the British Parliament in 2017, and his selection among the most influential Arab figures in social responsibility in 2020. Sheikh Abdullatif remains a model of a business leader who combined economic vision with a deep human spirit, dedicating his experience to building lasting social influence inside and outside Saudi Arabia.