RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – From across the Arabian Peninsula, some traveling for two days, hundreds of Muslim clerics, princes, tribal chiefs and dignitaries crowded into a silk-carpeted palace here Wednesday to pledge allegiance to Saudi Arabia’s new monarch in a traditional Islamic ceremony that sealed his status as the sixth king of the world’s largest oil exporter.
Known as “bayah,” the ceremony is older than the kingdom itself, dating to the days of the prophet Mohammed and the succession of caliphs that followed his death in the 7th century. In ritual and message, it was a reminder of the underpinnings of one of the world’s wealthiest nations: a near-absolute monarchy that relies on religion for its legitimacy, sanctioned by the country’s powerful clergy.
The ceremony was the last step in the scripted succession that followed King Fahd’s death on Monday. It marked Abdullah’s formal assumption of the power that he had exercised as crown prince in the decade since Fahd suffered a major stroke.
“At times when shouldering this responsibility, and I feel the weight is too heavy and the trust is great, I will derive help from God, and I ask him to give me strength to continue the march begun by the founder of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the great Abdul Aziz al-Saud, and then his sons,” the new king said afterward in his first televised address to the public.
He promised to adhere to the Quran as the country’s constitution and “serve all the people without discrimination.”
The ceremony was a vivid reminder of how the ancient and modern converge in Saudi Arabia – especially in its capital, Riyadh. At the palace and other royal residences, the diversity of Saudi Arabia gathered: men in uniforms, clerics in turbans, princes in pressed robes and tribal chiefs in checkered headscarves. In a sign of their importance, the country’s highest-ranking clergy were the first to pledge their allegiance; others waited hours, sometimes in vain.
Together, their greetings were brief, no more than a few moments. They expressed their loyalty to the king, “except in what would disobey God.” Younger relatives of the king kissed his hand or shoulder. Others saluted or shook his hand. With the few words, they upheld one of the oldest Islamic traditions, practiced for centuries by the tribes of Arabia.
“It is a contract between the ruler and the ruled,” said Abdel-Rahman Suwayid, 40, a member of the royal family, who waited outside another royal residence where pledges were accepted. “When you give bayah to the ruler, I’m with you, I’m under your order, what you do I obey you. There are no limits to the obedience. When the king decides a matter, you must obey.”
Associated Press
The new Saudi monarch, King Abdullah, is surrounded by Islamic clerics, tribal chiefs and other prominent Saudis on Wednesday before he receives oaths of loyalty.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
