Majlis Ash-Shura, 1358 A.H.

To His honor Mr. Chairman of the Shura Council,

Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you…

We received the letter of the Shura Council Presidency no 326 dated 37/12/1357 A.H. that includes the Council’s annual report.

We acknowledge good efforts and blessed deeds that the Council’s members exerted in serving the country. We ask Allah for the blessing and success to be in all actions.

Due to our confidence in the Councils’ members, and the sincerity and activeness they displayed, We order that the Council be extended for one further year, maintaining all current members.

Since Mr. Mohammad Al-Sulaiman Al-Turki was not able to attend the Council’s sessions, being obliged to stay in Jeddah, we order that Mr. Ibrahim AlAbdul-Rahman Al-Fadel stand in for him.

We ask Allah for the success of the Council to do the best in the year to come.

On behalf of the Council, Mr. Ahmad Ibrahim Al-Ghazawi, the Council’s member then delivered the following word:

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful

Your Excellency:

Your valuable trust that you bestowed onto the Shura Council members in this new term is one of the most encouraging means to advance in serving the commonweal, and endeavor to achieve royal aspirations.

The Council undertook to seriously and faithfully carry out its duty within powers entrusted to it and to consider good intention, sound purpose and combating temptations in all of its actions, and to follow the guidance of pure Sharia, and continue its efforts in honestly supporting Your Government in a way that yields the most great benefits onto your people. We all deeply realize Your intentions of goodness, progress and advancement towards this holy country, and towards all other parts of Saudi Arabia. Thus we follow your steps in all deeds we do, and we will do our best God willing to be eligible for this noble royal trust, and would be careful to perform our mission with certainty, steadfastness, and wisdom and depend upon Allah, the greatest for that help, guidance and success.

On this blessed occasion, we seize the opportunity of your glorious visit to the Shura Council to announce on behalf of the entire nation sincere thanks and prayers to your Majesty for your persistent efforts for the sake of Palestine, the third holy mosque, and the first Kibla, as well as for means of solutions and salvation that your delegation presided by your beloved son his Excellency Prince Faisal accomplishes. We pray to Allah to help you achieve the glory of Arabs and Moslems and that He bless your life, and to protect both your glorified Crown Prince, and deputy commander as well as all your royal family, Allah is the All-Hearing, All-responding.

His Excellency, May Allah protect him, then thanked the Council for a lot of duties it performed, and expressed his great wishes towards achieving the required reforms that would bring the nation up towards a decent level, in science, knowledge and construction. He then said:

According to previous decisions by the Council concerning census, which varied as result of organizing and reforming it and making it inclusive of both males and females, and along with efforts exerted by the government to observe people’s identities especially that a lot of foreigners live in this country, and due to increasing ties between nationals and foreigners in terms of marriage, rights and inheritance as result of intermingling, and your preparation of special regulations in such issues that should result in maintaining the rights of all people.

And since you are keen to serve the interest of the country and maintain its rights, I before all of you, authorize you to tackle this issue in accordance with traditions of our country and instructions of Islam.

I think that census of females does not at all contradict holy Sharia, or the honor of Arabs. Census in known tribes could be done in gross, otherwise it should be individual. I am totally careful to only allow what conforms with our Sharia and goes in line with public interest.

May Allah guide you to do the right, and steer your way in all deeds you do.