Saudi Arabia celebrates its national day today. This day corresponds to the 1st of Mizan the Islamic solar calendar or Sept. 23 of the Gregorian calendar.
While the national day to most countries means commemorating their independence from an occupation, or emergence of a new regime over an old one, the Kingdom celebrates its national day to mark its unification under the umbrella of Islam.
This unification is the second of its kind in the history of Arabian Peninsula. Its first unification came under the same umbrella when Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) established the first state of Islam almost 14 centuries ago. The Arabian Peninsula never attracted the attention of colonial powers. They did not see the utility in occupying the area full of deserts with precious few urban centers and natural resources.
Since then, the Saudi state began to expand, but it did not take shape until the unification took place at the hands of King Abdul Aziz in 1351 H (1932). The Kingdom chose to celebrate this great achievement as a national day on the 1st day of the month of the Mizan according to the solar Islamic calendar, which corresponds to Sept. 23, every year.
The unification brought about by King Abdul Aziz was a great achievement because it was the result of hard work combined with sweat, tears, and blood. There were many challenges he had to face internally before regaining control over Riyadh, which was followed by other territories from south to north.
Further, he succeeded in unifying different people and tribes and also in defeating his opponents who included the rebellious Bedouins and religious extremists, thus creating a harmonious population.
On the external front, King Abdul Aziz skillfully dealt with the rulers and sheikhs in the neighborhood. In addition to that, he succeeded in keeping the newly born state away from the two world wars by taking a neutral stand. He also succeeded in establishing fruitful contacts with the great powers of the time including the Ottomans, the US and Britain in favor of national, Arab and Islamic causes, especially the Palestinian cause.
For two decades after the declaration of the Kingdom, King Abdul Aziz devoted himself to strengthening the foundations of the state and embarked on building a modern country. He set up his government, administration systems and regulations, and established ministries and government agencies. He started building relations with foreign countries and international organizations thus benefiting from the experiences of developed countries, and shaping the country to what it is today.
All of this prompted many historians and politicians to describe the work of King Abdul Aziz in the unification of the Kingdom as one of the most important achievements and consider him as one of the greatest modern day leaders.
For example, Harry St. John Bridger Philby, known in Arabic as Abdullah Philby, a close British friend of the king, said: “ If Ibn Saud (King Abdul Aziz) was born to the purple, it was not to any expectation of greatness in the ordinary course; and certainly greatness was never thrust upon him. He achieved greatness on his own merit and by virtue of his strong personality, which is almost without parallel in the history of the Arabs.” It seems that they did not exaggerate in their views as the Kingdom that King Abdul Aziz founded proved to be one of the blessings of Allah in our present time as we can experience today.
Highlights:
n The Kingdom is a modern state that works to provide its population of 23 million people (a third of them expatriates) a prosperous life, though it lies in a region characterized by continuous political instability.
• The Kingdom hosts around 7 million guest workers coming from all over the world, with their annual remittances exceeding SR50 billion.
• The Kingdom is one of the most influential countries, regionally, and internationally, in many aspects. Spiritually, because it hosts two of the most sacred places for Muslims, the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madinah. Politically, because its wise political leadership follows rational policies internally and externally. Economically, because it owns huge financial assets from its oil exports.
• The Kingdom is one of the most considerate countries for international peace and economic stability. It always worked and is still working to guarantee continues supply of oil at moderate rates, especially in times of crisis.
• The Kingdom is a strong advocate of national, regional and international dialogue and understanding for peace.
In this respect it has launched many initiatives, the latest being King Abdullah’s sponsorship of the interfaith dialogue in Madrid, which had its positive impact on the international community.
• The Kingdom is one of the world’s top donors for humanitarian causes, especially to the developing countries, though it itself is one of them. It kept providing such aid during the last three decades, which amounted to over $75 billion, spending annually four percent of its GDP.
• All in all, the unification of the Kingdom brought about by King Abdul Aziz speaks of his greatness. The celebration of this day as National Day is thus of great significance. But the celebration should not be limited to enjoying a day off that the occasion provides or as a remembrance of the great job that was done, but also to rededicate to preserve the values of the Kingdom and keep it free from corruption, religious bigotry. It is a day to renew the efforts toward further advancing the capabilities in all fields through hard work.
• Thus Saudis can proudly continue to call their country the “Kingdom of Humanity,” a name that they gave a few years ago in the wake of the country’s great humanitarian contribution at both local and international levels, and make the world feel that life is far better with the existence of a country like the Kingdom.
