King Saud’s Address to His People
(Umm al‑Qura, Issue 1538 — 9 Rabi‘ al‑Awwal 1374 / 5 November 1954)
Praise be to God, who has guided us through the light of Islam and granted us the blessing of faith. May prayers and peace be upon Muhammad, the best of mankind.
As we depart these sacred lands, our hearts are filled with affection and compassion for our beloved people—who have spared no effort in expressing their loyalty to our throne with sincerity and devotion, and who have never hesitated to sacrifice for the preservation of our nation’s integrity, nor faltered in their desire to elevate the standing and reputation of our country. This is what compels us to renew our pledge and reaffirm our promise: that we are determined to sacrifice all that is precious to raise our people and our dear homeland to the level befitting them in all aspects of life—religious and worldly, public and private—so that blessings may abound, prosperity may reach all classes, and our nation may, with God’s help, flourish in dignity and honor, enjoying stability, reassurance, and peace among nations.
At this moment, we deem it our solemn duty to call upon every citizen—within the country and abroad, near or far, young or old—to keep before his eyes the supreme principle and noble aim upon which this Kingdom was founded, and upon which its strength, prosperity, and elevation depend: steadfast adherence to the principles of our noble religion, which has forbidden what is harmful, permitted what is wholesome, and guaranteed for us the good of this world and the bliss of the hereafter.
As the guardian of this nation—responsible for preserving its independence, protecting its sovereignty, preventing foreign interference, defending its borders, and safeguarding its honor and wealth—I am bound before God and before the people by the pledge placed upon me. I am obligated, by my own faith and conscience, to forbid what God has forbidden, to permit what God has permitted, to defend these principles with all my strength, and to uphold them with word and deed. I am entrusted with the protection of the Islamic creed from the tampering of the reckless and the corruption of the corrupt, and with enforcing the rulings of the noble Sharia to the fullest extent of the ability God has granted me.
It has come to my attention that some extremists—ignorant and misguided—believe that abandoning this straight path is a form of progress, and that steadfastness upon it is stagnation. God has blinded them to the truth, for they fail to see that this Kingdom was established only upon religion; that this nation was unified and strengthened only through religion; and that the Arabs, in their pre‑Islamic ignorance, were lost in the wilderness of division and weakness until God blessed them with this noble faith. Through it, He sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, and through it the nation rose, flourished, and led the world—until many of its sons abandoned this faith and its sound creed, and thus declined and were subjugated.
Today, as God has reunited us, granted us strength, and opened for us the doors of sustenance, our enemies seek to exploit the ignorance of the foolish and the recklessness of the pretentious among us to corrupt our creed—encouraging what God has forbidden, violating what He has permitted, and casting doubt upon our faith.
To these individuals in particular, and to all my people in general, I direct my words and issue my warning: upon my neck lies an Islamic pledge, and I must fulfill its obligations completely. In my hand is a sacred trust, and I must preserve it. The nation has placed in my care a solemn covenant, and I must uphold it. All of this rests upon the principles of our noble religion, our sound creed, and our merciful Sharia.
Whoever stands with us upon these principles, we stand with him—honoring his right and drawing him near. But whoever deviates from them, choosing ignorance, recklessness, and rebellion, let him prepare for a war from God and from us—without leniency or concession. We will not recognize the closeness of kin nor the stature of the great in this matter. Whoever conceals his error within himself, God is our sufficiency against him. But whoever openly defies God’s commands, the rulings of Sharia are sufficient to restrain him. The lawful is clear; the unlawful is clear; and the Sharia is the measure of justice—and justice is the foundation of governance.
I act, God willing, according to the wisdom:
“Whoever seeks the pleasure of God even at the displeasure of people, God will be pleased with him and will cause the people to be pleased with him. But whoever seeks the pleasure of people at the displeasure of God, God will be displeased with him and will cause the people to be displeased with him.”
I seek to earn the people’s satisfaction through God’s satisfaction, and I seek refuge in God from His displeasure.
It has also reached us that many who enjoy abundant wealth travel frequently abroad, spending large sums in ways displeasing to God, returning with weakened faith and eroded moral values. This poses a danger to our society and our creed, and is a waste of wealth at a time when we are in great need of strengthening our religious and moral foundations to withstand the turbulent currents sweeping the world today.
We are also in dire need of investing our wealth in developing our country—establishing companies, building institutions, and undertaking beneficial projects that will lift our nation from its setbacks and restore its strength, prosperity, and standing among nations. Those whom God has blessed with abundance must fear God, beware the consequences of heedlessness, and remember that whoever does good does so for himself, and whoever does evil bears its burden. “Your Lord is not unjust to His servants.”
We do not intend by this to forbid what God has permitted. God has blessed us with many lawful enjoyments, and it is our right to partake of them with moderation and righteousness. “Say: Who has forbidden the adornment of God which He has produced for His servants, and the good things of provision?” God has commanded us to seek knowledge, to reflect upon His wisdom, and to acquire strength and means of protection. “Honor belongs to God, His Messenger, and the believers.”
We are at the beginning of a cultural renaissance founded upon sound religious and moral principles. Every citizen must contribute to it. Private efforts are no less important than official ones, and private institutions are a pillar of public culture in every nation.
Those whom God has enriched must support this noble effort, earning for themselves lasting remembrance, God’s pleasure, and the gratitude of the people—rather than wasting their wealth in ways that bring only God’s displeasure and the people’s reproach. Our rising nation needs the efforts of all its sons for construction, not destruction; for revival, not ruin. We are more deserving of restoring our ancient glory—built upon our noble religion—than of stumbling blindly into paths that lead only to ruin.
Our path is clear and straight. We have pledged before God to follow it and remain steadfast upon it. We have pledged to our nation in the oath of allegiance to uphold it. Whoever walks with us upon it has the right to our care, loyalty, and brotherhood. Whoever deviates from it has no right, no loyalty, and no protection.
O God, show us truth as truth and grant us the ability to follow it; show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us the ability to avoid it; and do not let it be confused for us lest we go astray. You are the All‑Hearing, the All‑Responding.