King Abdullah, Who Nudged Saudi Arabia Forward, Dies at 90

By DOUGLAS MARTIN and BEN HUBBARD JAN. 22, 2015

World News • January 2015 • Views: 2,108

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who came to the throne in old age and earned a reputation as a cautious reformer even as the Arab Spring revolts toppled heads of state and Islamic State militants threatened the Muslim establishment that he represented, died on Friday, Saudi officials said. He was 90.

The cause was unknown. He had been in a hospital since December and placed on a respirator.

Succession was swift. Abdullah’s brother and crown prince, Salman, in a statement attributed to him on Saudi state television, announced the king’s death and that he had assumed the throne.

More: King Abdullah, Who Nudged Saudi Arabia Forward, Dies at 90

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6 comments

mrpayday Jan 22, 2015 6:02:23pm

So the new Crown Prince is the youngest of all the sons of Ibn Saud, they will want to get the succession worked out before a hundred cousins fight it out.

CuriousLurker Jan 22, 2015 6:25:22pm

From the article:

As king he also bore the title of custodian of Islam’s holiest mosques, in Mecca and Medina, making him one of the faith’s most important figures. […]

That’s a really odd way to describe things. Any Saudi king’s custodianship of Islam’s holiest mosques is basically an accident of his birth and doesn’t confer any special religious authority on him. He (Abdullah) didn’t have the scholarly religious training that would have given him weight as a theologian. AFAIK, neither does the new king nor did any of the past ones.

Additionally, monarchy isn’t part of Islam, and the opulent lifestyle of the Al-Saud clan is a huge departure from Islamic teachings regarding worldly wealth & status.

If anything, what he had, and what his brother Salman now has, would more accurately be described as a rather heavy responsibility, an obligation, to properly protect & maintain the holy places as well as provide for the needs of the millions of Muslims making Hajj & Umrah each year (the latter can be undertaken at any time of the year, unlike the Hajj). They’re important in that sense.

Anyway, I just wanted to make it clear that the custodianship doesn’t grant the caretaker any special status in terms of fiqh (jurisprudence), i.e. he’s not someone Muslims would turn to for religious guidance.

Ace-o-aces Jan 22, 2015 11:16:35pm

re: #2 CuriousLurker

I just wanted to make it clear that the custodianship doesn’t grant the caretaker any special status in terms of fiqh (jurisprudence), i.e. he’s not someone Muslims would turn to for religious guidance.

Not to mention they’ve been basically paving over some of Islam’s most historically important sites to build shops and hotels so they can wring more and more profit from the millions of pilgrims to Mecca.

CuriousLurker Jan 23, 2015 2:24:18am

re: #3 Ace-o-aces

Not to mention they’ve been basically paving over some of Islam’s most historically important sites to build shops and hotels so they can wring more and more profit from the millions of pilgrims to Mecca.

What makes it even worse is that some of those buildings are 5-star luxury hotels. That is so… wrong. To seek & obtain luxury accommodations is basically completely contrary to the frame of mind one is supposed to be in while making the pilgrimage. And that gaudy clock tower—ugh. Why?

Ace-o-aces Jan 23, 2015 8:02:15am

re: #4 CuriousLurker

What makes it even worse is that some of those buildings are 5-star luxury hotels. That is so… wrong. To seek & obtain luxury accommodations is basically completely contrary to the frame of mind one is supposed to be in while making the pilgrimage. And that gaudy clock tower—ugh. Why?

Simple. $$$!

CuriousLurker Jan 23, 2015 8:11:24am

re: #5 Ace-o-aces