In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
From Saud bin Abdulaziz to all his Muslim brothers standing this day in these sacred sites.
Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
“Here I am, O God, here I am. You have no partner—here I am. Truly, all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.”
I praise before you God—there is no deity but He—Who has granted me and you the success to meet one another on this great day, upon this blessed plain of the sacred land, as brothers united in love, sincerity, submission, and humility—hoping for His mercy and fearing His punishment. We send prayers and peace upon the leader of this nation, the reviver of its glory, the unifier of its ranks, Muhammad the noble Arab, whom God sent as a guide and mercy to all peoples—may God’s peace be upon him, his family, his companions, and all who follow them in righteousness until the Day of Judgment.
From this place, I address every Muslim who stands with us performing this great pillar of Islam, greeting you with the greeting of Islam and congratulating you sincerely for the blessing God has bestowed upon us all—gathering us in this sacred season, turning our hearts, hearing, sight, and innermost thoughts toward Him, performing this obligation exactly as the Messenger of God brought it from his Lord, adding nothing to it and omitting nothing from it. “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.”
For God Almighty revealed to His noble Messenger during the Farewell Pilgrimage—while he stood in this very place where we stand today—the final verses of revelation:
“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and approved for you Islam as your religion.”
Praise be to God for the blessing of this complete and merciful religion, which calls us to honor, glory, strength, and unity.
I feel it is a duty upon me—and upon every one of you whose ranks fill this plain and its surrounding mountains—to devote worship sincerely to God alone, associating none with Him, calling upon none besides Him, taking no rival to Him, and directing obedience and worship to Him alone. When each of us understands that this essence is the spirit of Islam and the foundation of the Muhammadan message—entrusted by God to the Arab nation to carry and spread across the earth—then we understand the meaning of monotheism, its foundation, and its structure. This is the radiant form of Islam to which the prophets called, in which we believe, which we proclaim, and for which we strive.
My Muslim brothers,
In a few days, our gathering will disperse, and each of us will return to his homeland and family in health and well‑being, God willing, after fulfilling his great hope of performing an accepted pilgrimage. Therefore, I address each of you with this sincere fraternal message:
Our righteous predecessors said: “The latter part of this nation will not be rectified except by what rectified its first part.”
You all know that the earliest Muslims held firmly to this creed and this principle, which filled their hearts. Through it they carried the Muhammadan message to the corners of the earth—bringing glad tidings and warnings—teaching nations the meanings of humanity, goodness, guidance, and truth.
Today, as God has granted many Muslim peoples freedom and independence, and as the dawn of liberation begins to shine upon other parts of our shared Islamic homeland in East and West through honorable struggle, I call upon all Muslims in this sacred season to cooperate, unite, support one another, and come to know one another. Let Muslims meet so that each may know his brother, and once they do, let them study their problems, examine their present, plan for their future, and enjoin one another to truth and patience.
Our aim in calling for unity, solidarity, and cohesion is not aggression or harm to anyone—for aggression is not of Islam. Rather, our aim is that the Islamic world attain a strong, respected, and honorable position, contributing to the elevation of spiritual and cultural standards among nations, in accordance with the noble human message upon which Islam was founded.
We want Muslims to possess honor in their lands, glory in their aims, and elevation in their aspirations—to be like a solid structure, each part supporting the other, contributing to the spread of civilization and knowledge among humanity.
This is what I call all my Muslim brothers to from these sacred sites, and I hope we will all cooperate in calling to it and working for it. For the sake of this noble human mission, we have invited all Muslim leaders to a general Islamic conference. When we meet soon, God willing, in this land, we shall deliberate on the practical and effective means to achieve these cherished hopes.
I sincerely pray that this historic gathering will lead to unity among Muslim peoples regarding the path they must take to address their issues, repel aggression from their lands, and present a unified stance before every global matter affecting their destiny and their legitimate rights—especially in this era of intense global conflict over vital matters that concern Muslims directly and determine the fate of this essential part of the world, our homeland and our spiritual and material domain. Muslims must have an independent identity, a decisive voice, and recognized rights in all matters concerning it.
Upon these principles we befriend those who seek our friendship, and we oppose—with all the strength God grants us—those who attempt to diminish them. God Almighty says: “God will surely support those who support Him.”
Let those present convey this message to those absent, and let each of us be a caller and bearer of these noble ideals among people.
I wish you all an accepted pilgrimage, a praiseworthy effort, and a blessed return to your families and homelands.
Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.