JEDDAH, 2 August 2005 — Reactions to King Fahd’s death have been sentimental among older Saudis and emotional among the women. For most, the duration of the king’s reign covered the prime of their lives. To them it is not the end of a life, but the end of an era in their lives.
“The best days of my life have been during the reign of King Fahd — may Allah have mercy on his soul”, said Zahra Adnani, a housewife in her sixties.
“I was a young bride when I first came to the country newly married to my Saudi husband. I’ve known ease, comfort and prosperity all these years due to King Fahd. I always believed we were in good hands. The younger generations don’t know how lucky they were to have had him for king.”
“Those of my age have known kings as men who are fathers to their people, they are not just public figures,” said Umm Mutaz, the wife of a former minister. “They were easy to approach and you could really go to them with your problem. Now that King Fahd is gone I feel those good old days are gone with him too,” said the woman in her seventies.
“He was a good man, a good king”, said Fatmah Bouq Umm Ahmad, a widow from Madinah, grandmother of more than 30 children and great grandmother of more than 10. “I couldn’t believe the news when my grandson told me this morning. And the younger generations among my family couldn’t understand why I was crying over the death of a man I never knew.”
She continued: “They don’t understand; to me, it is as though my father was dying all over again, my husband was dying all over again. Widowed and orphaned again. My children think I’m overreacting, it’s not about losing a man but the best times of our lives.”
“He has gone where we are going to follow”, said Abu Nabeel, a senior Saudi citizen in his 70s. “The world and for that matter the country is already so unfamiliar to me and those like me; this is another step toward that unfamiliarity.” He let out a long heavy sigh and said, “With the king’s death I’m reminded of all those who have already left us — I’m reminded of Sharawi, Tantawi and Ibn Baz — Imams and Sheikhs who died during his time. “ “Even though he’s been unwell for some time I always thought, with Allah’s mercy, he would recover”, said Abu Hassan, an elderly government retiree. “I’m still stunned that he’s passed away. May Allah help those around him and give his family fortitude,” said the man in his 70s.
There were those who cancelled family occasions because of the sad news.
“I was in a gold shop in the International Mall near Tahlia Street buying a wedding gift for my great granddaughter when I heard the news from the salesman,” said Alia Ahmad, a Saudi woman in her late 60s. “I left everything and went into a TV shop to see the news and immediately went home.” She continued: “We were throwing the bride a party tonight prior to her wedding on Wednesday; we’ve canceled it now.”
