عبد العزيز بن باز
In 2009, the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, in their list of "The 500 Most Influential Muslims" placed him amongst notable radicals such as al-Baghdadi, and he has consistenly made the list since. However, opinions on Al-Madkhali vary between supporters and opponents. Contemporary hadith scholar Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani regarded Al-Madkhali to be very knowledgeable in the field of hadith, particularly in Al-Jarh wa-l-Ta’dil. Al-Albani stated that, “the carrier of the flag of [knowledge] of Jarh wa Ta'deel today, in this present time, and rightfully so, is our brother Dr. Rabee’, and those who refute him do so without any knowledge." He has also received praise from other contemporary Salafist scholars such as Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz, Saleh Al-Fawzan, Muhammad ibn al-Uthaymeen, Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i, and the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia among many others who praised him for being a firm defender of Islam's core values. Roel Meijer notes that some analysts view Madkhali’s followers as having an obsession with his defense and continuously cite scholarly praise of him as a mechanism "for maintaining, defending and enhancing this authority", which is contested by Madkhali's detractors.