In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Praise be to God, and blessings and peace be upon His Messenger, and the pleasure of God be upon his Companions and the righteous predecessors.
In the name of God, I hereby open the first meeting of this Council of Ministers, asking the Almighty to guide us in all our undertakings to His straight path, and to assist us in acting according to what our Lord has commanded and what our Prophet—may God’s blessings and peace be upon him—and our righteous forebears have established, in all that ensures our welfare in this world and the next.
My brothers and my sons,
I find myself at this moment filled with gratitude to God Almighty—gratitude beyond measure—for the countless blessings He has bestowed upon us, among them His mercy during the illness that afflicted me, and His granting me renewed health and strength so that I may return to you. What brought the greatest comfort to my heart during those days was the mutual bond I felt between myself and my people. They were ever present in my hearing and sight, just as I sensed that I was present in theirs. They surrounded me with their sentiments, their prayers, and their supplications for my recovery, until God returned me to them—filled with longing to meet them and to resume my duty in serving this beloved homeland, which we cherish and for which we would sacrifice our very lives.
My brothers and my sons,
I have chosen you to assume the responsibilities of governance in this state, to be my partners in serving this nation, guiding it along the sound path that preserves its faith above all else, and organizes its affairs of livelihood with every means, strength, and effort at our disposal. I ask God, with a sincere heart, to grant our nation—through our collective efforts—the well‑being it seeks for its happiness in this world and the hereafter.
Before you lies the state budget, the capabilities of the citizens, and every resource available to us for elevating the standing of this nation. We must exert our utmost efforts in all that earns the pleasure of our Lord and brings prosperity and comfort to our people.
My brothers and my sons,
The objectives of our domestic and foreign policy are the very principles brought forth by Islam. We have no aims other than these. Upon them we proceed, and to them we call. We seek no substitute for them, for they guarantee the happiness of this world and the next. We shall not permit in our land any doctrine other than the principles of Islam, and we shall call to these principles beyond our borders as well—as God has commanded: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel; there is no compulsion in religion; truth has become distinct from falsehood. Whoever rejects falsehood and believes in God has grasped the firmest bond, unbreakable; and God is All‑Hearing, All‑Knowing.”
These are our principles and our objectives; we recognize no others.
My brothers and my sons,
God has enabled our present renaissance by granting us the means to open the doors of education in our land in a manner few others have matched. We have established schools and made it possible for the sons of our people to attend institutions of learning free of charge, supporting them at every stage of education. We have sent scholarship missions abroad at the expense of the state—this is by God’s grace and facilitation. We have opened numerous hospitals and clinics, which citizens visit for treatment and surgery without paying any fees.
Roads are being constructed in the cities and throughout the vast regions of the Kingdom to secure transportation between them. We have devoted attention to vocational education so that the sons of this nation may serve themselves. Many projects are underway to extract the wealth of the land and to employ labor in agriculture and industry. We must advance in these endeavors with firm steps so that our people may enjoy the blessings God has bestowed upon us.
I call upon you—my brothers and my sons, the ministers—to redouble your efforts in all matters that contribute to the welfare of the people, elevate their religious and intellectual standards, and ensure their well‑being. You must work to develop whatever regulations require development so that they align with the public interest and with the economic and administrative progress of the state. All our laws shall be derived from the Book of God and the Sunnah of His Messenger.
This is our domestic policy, to which I call you and myself, and according to which we must act. Whoever purifies his intention before his Lord in his work will be guided to what he seeks.
Our Foreign Policy
I summarize our foreign policy and its objectives as follows:
First:
We in this sacred land—the cradle of light and guidance—have been granted no honor greater than this religion, which our Muslim forefathers spread throughout the world. Our foremost objective is therefore to cooperate with all Muslims in a spirit of brotherhood, as God Almighty has said: “The believers are but brothers.”
Whether our Muslim brothers are near or far, what concerns them concerns us; what brings them joy brings us joy; what pains them pains us. We consider it our duty to cooperate with whomever we can on a sound Islamic basis, as our Lord has commanded.
Second:
In the Arab sphere, we are Arabs, and this land is the source of Arabdom. From here the Arabs rose to spread principles that were the most sacred and exalted ever brought to mankind. Therefore, every effort to unite the Arabs and gather their ranks is one we support, advocate, and work for.
We have acted—and shall continue to act—within the Arab League as required to preserve the entity of the Arab nation and to unite its strength. We shall always be among the pillars that support and uphold the Arab League. We shall stand by any Arab who is attacked, near or far, in any region. We shall resist and condemn any attempt to divide the Arabs, just as we resist any aggression against any Arab, regardless of the aggressor.
Third:
Our hands are extended to all who befriend us, who neither aggress nor transgress against us. We work within the United Nations alongside all who seek peace and call for it.
It is regrettable that our political relations with the United Kingdom remain severed because of its aggression against our lands in al‑Buraimi and the disputed areas. Negotiations mediated by the late Mr. Hammarskjöld continue, though they still face recurring obstacles. We affirm that our brothers in those regions are more entitled to us, and we to them. If the matter concludes according to the agreed basis, nothing would please us more than the restoration of our relations with Britain.
As for France, we severed relations alongside Britain during their aggression against our sister Egypt, and we maintained this stance in support of our heroic brothers in Algeria. Now that an agreement has been reached to cease fire, we hope matters will proceed in a manner that ensures Algeria’s freedom and independence, so that relations may soon be restored, God willing.
As for the bleeding wound in our hearts—our beloved Palestine—our strength will not rest until our brothers regain their full and undiminished rights. We hope all will recognize the true nature of the danger and understand that cooperation is the only path to restoring rights to their rightful owners.
This is a summary of the objectives of our domestic and foreign policy. I ask God to grant us and you success in what is good, and in righteous deeds that please our Lord and serve our people, the Muslims, and all Arabs.
Peace be upon you.