Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, occupying most of the peninsula; and bordered on the north by Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait; on the east by the Persian Gulf and Qatar; on the south-east by the United Arab Emirates and Oman; on the south by the Republic of Yemen and on the west by the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. Boundaries in the southeast and the south are not precisely defined. Saudi Arabia has an area of about 2,240,000 sq. km (864,869 sq. km). The capital and the largest city is Riyadh. The population of Saudi Arabia is mainly composed (90%) of native Arabs.
Virtually all Saudis are Muslims. The national language is Arabic. Saudi Arabia has a population of 18,426,000 (1996 official estimate).
Education in Saudi Arabia is free. King Saud University of Riyadh, the Islamic University in Madina, King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah, King Fisal University in Dammam, Umm al-Qura University in Makkah, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals at Dhahran and a number of other institutes and collages.
Some of the largest libraries of Saudi Arabia are situated in Riyadh. The King Saud University library contains more than 1 million volumes.
Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum (26%) in the world. It ranks as the largest exporters of petroleum and plays a leading role in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. About 6 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy.
The Government is based on the Shari’ah law of Islam. The chief ruler of Saudi Arabia is a king and the crown prince who succeeds the king. Saudi Arabia has no separate legislatures of political parties. The king and his ministers issue laws.
Saudi Arabia is a member of the U.N., the Arab League, OPEC, Shura and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
Saudi Arabia is divided into 13 administrative provinces, with appointed governors and assemblies of local notables. Councils of elders govern towns and villages.
The judicial system of Saudi Arabia is based on the Shari’ah, which is derived from the Holy Qur’an, and hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The principle tribunals of the country are Supreme Council of Justice, the Court of Cassation, General Courts and Summary Courts.
Islam & Holy Quran
Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was born into a family belonging to the Quraish, the ruling tribe of Makkah in 570. Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) father had died before he was born. His mother died when he was 6. The orphan was consigned to the care of his grand father. After the death of his grand father Muhammad (pbuh) was raised by his uncle Abu Talib. During the period of his life Muhammad (pbuh) traveled widely. In his late 30’s he began to retire to meditate in a cave on Mt. Hira, outside Makkah, where the first of great events of Islam took place. It was then the first revelation (the 96th Surah or chapter of the Qur’an) was sent down through the angel Gabriel. As more and more revelations came, he went into the people to make them understand the principles of Islam. His teachings angered local residents and Muhammad left for Madina. In 630, he retuned with his followers and conquered Makkah, setting into motion the rapid expansion of Islam across the Middle East. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) profoundly changed the history of the country with his renewal of Islam in the 7th century.
Islam, in Arabic, means "submission"-- submission to the will of God. Faithful Muslims, therefore submit unreservedly to Gods will and obey His precepts as set forth in the Qur'an -- The Holy Book and transmitted to mankind by Muhammad, His Messenger.
Muslims believe that theirs is the only true faith. Islam, the say, was revealed through a long line of prophets inspired by God. Among them are Ibrahim (Abraham), patriarch of the Arabs through his first son Isma'il (Ishmael), Musa (Moses), who received the Tawrah (Torah), Dawud (David) who spoke through the Zabur (Psalms), and Isa (Jesus), who brought the Injil (Gospels). But the full and the final revelation came through Muhammad-- the last of all prophets-- and were embodied in the Qur’an, which completes and supercedes all previous revelations.
Muslims consider the Qur’an as the word of God as transmitted by the angel Gabriel, in the Arabic language, through the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The Qur’an is regarded as the summation and completion of the earlier revelations.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) delivered the text of Qur’an orally to his followers as it was revealed to him.
Non-Muslims are often struck by the range of styles found in the Qur’an. Passages of impassioned beauty are no less common than vigorous narratives. The sublime “Verse of the Throne” is perhaps one of the most famous:
‘ God – there is no god but He,
The Living, the Everlasting,
Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep,
To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth,
Who is there that can intercede with Him
Save by His leave?
He knows what lies before them and what is after them
Nor do they compass anything of His knowledge
Except such as He wills,
His throne overspreads the heavens and the earth,
The preserving of them wearies Him not,
He is the Most High, the All Glorious.’ __ (Surah al-Baqarah or Chapter 2 of the Qur’an)
As the chief source of Islamic doctrine and practice, the Qur’an is the main foundation of the Shari’ah, the sacred law of Islam, which covers all aspects of the public, and private, social and economic and religious and political life of all Muslims.
Unlike Western legal system, the Shari’ah makes no distinction between religious and civil matters, it is the codification of God’s Law and it concerns itself with every aspects of social, political, economic and religious life.
In addition to Qur’an the Shari’ah has three sources:
1. The sunnah – the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
2. The ijma’- the consensus of opinion
3. The qiyas - reasoning by analogy, the application of human reasoning to extend the principles found in two primary sources – the Qur’an and the sunnah—to cases involving matters unknown in the early years of Islam.
Despite the great body of the tradition and law however, the practice of Islam is essentially personal—a direct relationship between individuals and God. Although there are Imams who lead prayer and deliver sermons, there are no priests or ministers.
To practice their faith Muslims must accept primary obligations, which Islam imposes, called the Five Pillars of Islam. They are:
Shahadah- the profession of faith. It is the repetition of the simple statement “La ilaha illa Allah, Muhammadun rasulAllah”(There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God), yet also profound, for in it a Muslim expresses his complete acceptance of, and total commitment to the Message of Islam.
Salah –devotional worship or prayer, requires Muslims to pray five times a day.
Zakah- the religious tax. Like prayer, zakah is considered a form of worship. It enshrines the duty of social responsibility by which the well-to-do Muslims must concern themselves about those less fortunate. The zakah prescribes payments of fined proportions of a Muslim’s possessions for the welfare of the community in general and for its needy members in particular, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. In addition all Muslims are encouraged to make voluntary, contributions to the needy called ‘Sadaqa’.
Sawm -fasting during the month of Ramadan, the 9th month of the Muslim year. Ordained in the Qur’an, the fast is an exacting act of deeply personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God.
Hajj- pilgrimage to Makka. It is for the Muslims who can get to Makka, the peak of their religious life. The hajj is at once a worldwide migration of the faithful. People put on their Ihraam dress while performing hajj. It consists of two simple seamless garments for men and a simple dress and head covering for women. Dressed in their simple garments all are equal in the eyes of God.
By: Content Manager (Source: Saudi Aramco And Its World)
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