In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
From Saud bin Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al‑Faisal.
Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
May God bless you. You know that God Almighty has entrusted us with the affairs of the Muslims. The Prophet—peace be upon him—said: “Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock. The ruler is a shepherd and responsible for his subjects.” You, too, are responsible for those under your authority.
You know that the heavens and the earth stand upon justice, as God Almighty said: “Be just; that is nearer to righteousness.” And in the traditions: “Justice is the foundation of governance; religion strengthens the state, and the state preserves religion.”
I urge you—and myself—to fear God in private and in public, to speak the truth in anger and in satisfaction, and to remember that God knows the treachery of the eyes and what the hearts conceal. The Prophet—peace be upon him—said: “God does not look at your forms or your words, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds.”
You are entrusted with the welfare of the people under your authority. God will hold you accountable for how you treat them and what you do on their behalf—good for good, and evil for evil.
I command you to follow the Muhammadan Sharia in all matters of rights, disputes, and problems among people. Do not burden yourselves with what you cannot bear. God has commanded you to follow His Book and the Sunnah of His Prophet. There is no justice except through the Book and the Sunnah; they alone will save you from God’s punishment and from the burden of responsibility.
After that comes justice among people, fairness, and refraining from favoritism—neither toward the powerful over the weak nor the wealthy over the poor. The weak and the helpless are those who deserve your care, for the strong and the rich can defend themselves, while the weak have no refuge but God, and then the authority of the Muslims.
I advise you and place upon you the responsibility before God—on the Day you meet Him barefoot and unclothed—that nothing will save you except your righteous deeds. Fear God in the matters entrusted to you, be just among people, and give them their rights even against yourselves. Be humble before the Muslims, refine your manners, treat the elder as a father, the peer as a brother, and the young as a son. Safeguard their religious and worldly interests, and inquire about their conditions. Whatever relief you can provide, do so; and whatever exceeds your ability, refer it to us. You will find, God willing, that my doors and my heart are open to my people. I seek their welfare and remove harm from them whenever I learn of it.
Do not neglect any matter that concerns religion or the interests of the Muslims. Verify it first with the people of knowledge and righteousness, then refer it to us. In this way, your responsibility is discharged and your duty fulfilled. The welfare of the Muslims concerns me, and I follow their conditions and support them.
You must uphold God’s commands and attend to those whom God has placed under your authority, ensuring what benefits their faith and beliefs. Strengthen the institution of enjoining good and forbidding wrong with wisdom and prudence, as God said: “Call to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good counsel, and argue with them in the best manner.” Support the people of virtue and make them your close advisors, for a person is shaped by the company he keeps.
With this, I have discharged my duty and given you the necessary instructions. My opinion of you is good, God willing; had it not been so, I would not have entrusted you with the affairs of the Muslims. But it is my duty to advise and guide you for the good of my people and my country, and out of fear of my responsibility before God.
We ask God Almighty to grant victory to His religion, to exalt His word, to show us truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it, and to show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it. May God’s blessings be upon Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
1 Safar 1375 — 19 September 1955