RIYADH, 3 August 2005 — Searing heat and a blazing sun did not deter the quarter of a million mourners who gathered yesterday in Riyadh to pray and pay their last respects to King Fahd who died Monday.
In addition to the tens of thousands of Saudis who came to bid their king farewell, tens of thousands of expatriate workers and heads of state from around the world came to honor King Fahd.
The area around Imam Turki ibn Abdullah Mosque in the center of the Kingdom’s capital city was so congested that many had to walk more than two kilometers just to get near the funeral. For others, it was more difficult than a long walk on a hot August day.
“He was a great king,” said wheelchair-bound Pakistani Liaqat Ali, crying as he pushed himself purposefully toward the funeral. “May God have mercy on him.” Muqeet Ahmed Maruf from Nizamabad and Abdul Rahman Javed Basha from Hyderabad said that they came to pray for King Fahd because of their deep respect for him. “We read all about his services to humanity,” said Maruf. “We are simple people, and King Fahd touched our hearts. We felt we knew him. We pray that God will bless his soul.” The prayers for the late king were performed at a simple ceremony after the Asr (late afternoon) prayer. King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan and other senior princes were present in the front rows during the funeral prayer for the late king, which was led by the Kingdom’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh.
The simple and austere funeral ceremony was held under watchful eyes at the mosque in the center of the capital. After the prayer, the body of the late king was carried to Al-Oud public cemetery and laid to final rest in a simple grave.
After the prayer, King Abdullah, Prince Sultan and other princes received condolences from world leaders who came to attend the funeral. The leaders who took part in the funeral prayer included Sultan Qaboos of Oman, King Hamad of Bahrain, King Abdallah of Jordan, Emir Sheikh Hamad of Qatar, Sheikh Khalifa ibn Zayed, president of the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, President Ali Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Syria’s President Bashar Assad.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, Mauritanian President Maaouiya Ould Taya, Djibouti President Ismail Umar Guelleh, President Othman Ghazali of Comoro Islands, Bangladeshi President Iajuddin Ahmed, Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Senegalese President Abdullah Wade, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Malian President Amadou Toumani Touré, Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed, Bosnian Prime Minister Adnan Terzic, Sudanese Vice President Ali Othman Taha, Indonesian Vice President Yousuf Kala, first assistant to the Iranian president, Muhammad Arif, Nigerian Vice President Abubakar Atiku and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa also attended the prayer.
Some of the heads of state traveled thousands of miles to attend the services. All of them spoke of King Fahd as a trusted ally and a true humanitarian.
“The late monarch was always committed to the promotion of just causes for the well being of Muslims around the world,” said Pakistani President Musharraf, who led a 24-member delegation including three ministers. “His services to Muslims in providing facilities for Haj endeared him to the tens of millions of Muslims across the world.” “We have lost a close friend of Sri Lanka who stood with us through thick and thin,” said Sri Lankan Premier Mahinda Rajapakse. “Sri Lanka is one of the countries that has benefited from the late king’s magnanimity. Several development projects have been implemented on the island with the financial assistance initiated by the late king.” Rajapakse recalled that under the late king’s special instructions, Sri Lanka received much-needed relief aid from the Kingdom including the construction of 1,000 houses for tsunami victims.
“King Fahd was the most respected leader of his people and symbolized the unity and solidarity of the entire Muslim world,” said President of Bangladesh Iajuddin Ahmed, who was leading a nine-member delegation. “He will be remembered by his friends and admirers for his prudent leadership and invaluable contribution to peace, stability and progress of humanity,” he said.
Across the Arab world governments voiced their sadness and announced periods of morning. An Arab summit due to be held in Egypt was postponed. Western leaders also took time out to honor King Fahd.
“King Fahd’s achievements were incredible,” said French President Jacques Chirac. “He was the dynamic force behind the political, economic and social development of the Kingdom.”
Chirac flew into Riyadh air base at the head of a delegation comprising eight officials, including Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy, a French Embassy spokesman said. Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, was also expected to arrive later.
President Bush of the United States could not attend, but Vice President Dick Cheney is leading a delegation that may include Bush’s father, former President George Bush who led the United States during the Gulf War. The current president said he was “deeply saddened” by the death of King Fahd, who he called “a man of wisdom” and “a friend and strong ally of the United States for decades.
“As king, he had warm friendships with American presidents. I send my condolences and those of the American people to King Abdullah, to the late King Fahd’s family, and to the Saudi people on the passing of this historic figure. May God bless him.” Bush also spoke of the future.
“We wish Saudi Arabia peace and prosperity under his leadership,” he said. “I have spoken today to the new king, and the United States looks forward to continuing the close partnership between our two countries.” South African leader Nelson Mandela offered condolences to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Fahd, saying he was a friend known for his wisdom and generosity. “King Fahd was a great friend of South Africa, and we personally had the privilege of being able to call him a friend,” Mandela said in a statement.
“The world is a poorer place for the loss of wisdom and generosity he embodied,” said the hero of the anti-apartheid struggle.
President Thabo Mbeki sent his condolences, saying South Africa had lost a “good friend.” “It was with tremendous sadness that I received the news that King Fahd had passed away,” Mbeki said in a statement. “The king had been a good friend of the government and the people of South Africa, and we all morn his passing with our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hailed the late king as a stalwart of peace and tolerance amid the global war against terrorism. “We join the world in mourning the passing of this great man and stand by the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at their moment of profound loss,” she said in a statement.
Chinese President Hu Jintao conveyed condolences to the Kingdom over the death of King Fahd, calling the late monarch “an old esteemed friend of the Chinese people,” state media said.
“King Fahd has made an important contribution to the construction of a modern Saudi Arabia, the development of the Saudi national economy and the peace and development in the region and the world,” Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.
Malaysia also offered condolences, saying his passing was a great loss to the Arab and Muslim world.
“We join the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in mourning the loss of one of the greatest and respectable leaders of the Muslim world,” Malaysia’s King Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin said in a statement.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in a separate message that King Fahd had brought “rapid progress and prosperity” to his people.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong expressed his country’s sympathies to Saudi Arabia for the death of King Fahd, calling the late monarch a statesman and peacemaker. “On behalf of the people and government of Singapore, I convey our heartfelt condolences to Your Majesty, the Al-Saud family and the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Lee said in a letter to newly installed King Abdullah released to the media.
Lee said that in a region marked by conflicts, King Fahd had “distinguished himself as a statesman and peacemaker.” He said King Fahd “will be remembered for his efforts in finding a peaceful and just resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflicts as well as his leadership against aggression during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.”
Shops and businesses opened as usual in Riyadh yesterday, though the mood among ordinary Saudis was subdued. “He was a great man, a leader of the Muslim nation,” said Saleh Khalifa, a 50-year-old resident of Riyadh as he entered the mosque. “I’ve come here to pay my respects.”
The royal family has pledged its allegiance to Abdullah as the country’s new king. Saudis will pledge allegiance to King Abdullah and new Crown Prince Sultan today. King Abdullah is the fifth son of Saudi Arabia’s founder King Abdul Aziz to ascend the throne.
Funeral prayers for the late king were also held at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah and other mosques across the country.
Among the silent, reflective crowds were many who felt the strength of their faith, which may be the most appropriate epitaph for good King Fahd. “He was a good man. I really liked him,” said Siddik Shah from Faisalabad, Pakistan, who will travel to Makkah next week to perform Umrah. “I will also pray for King Abdullah, and I will pray for world peace.”
