The 23 years reign of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz Al-Saud in Saudi Arabia, which came to an end with his death on 1 Aug 2005, can be described as the most eventful period in the current history of that country. It was marked by a fast changing scenario within the country and around it; the region saw four bloody wars and a continuing political turmoil. The collapse of the Soviet Union also had far reaching repercussions on the Middle East in particular because it upset the balance of power in the region in favour of the United States and its protégé Israel with disastrous consequences for the Arabs.

Saudi Arabia and its economy could not have remained unaffected by these turbulent changes in the situation in the Middle East. But thanks to the sagacious leadership of King Fahd and his cautious response to the emerging international scenario, Saudi Arabia remained largely unscathed by these upheavals in the region, and what is more, it continued to make strides in the field of socio-economic development while remaining steadfast in conforming to the Islamic ideals of the Saudi state. This can indeed be called the greatest achievement of King Fahd.

When he acceded to the throne, the Iraq-Iran war had been going on for more than a year, farther to the east the Soviet invasion on Afghanistan had given rise to a general uprising in that country with the militant Afghans having declared Jihad against the Soviet Union and its puppet rulers in Kabul in which Saudi Arabia was destined to play an important role. In the west there was looming danger from an emboldened Israel. Then in 1990 came the worst crisis in the region when Saddam Hussein launched an unprovoked attack on Kuwait and occupied that state claiming it to be part of Iraq. That led to the Gulf War of 1990-91 in which Saudi Arabia played a pivotal role; Iraq was forced to withdraw its forces and Kuwait was liberated.

Fahd's response to the turmoil in the region was first to ensure the security of his own country, then to carefully choose which side to throw his weight in the raging conflicts. His guiding principle was to ensure the economic interests of Saudi Arabia and carry on the development of the country in the socio-economic and educational fields without compromising its Islamic ideals and the larger interests of the Muslim Ummah. Unfortunately, Fahd had to see more trouble in the region and beyond for the Arab and Muslim peoples- the coming into power of Taliban in Afghanistan, the appearance of Osama bin Laden on the scene, rise in terrorism, the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon in the US, the US-led war on terrorism, and invasion on Afghanistan and later on Iraq etc., etc. But he remained unyielding in his commitment and policies even under the greatest pressures.

The spectacular progress achieved by Saudi Arabia during the quarter of a century in the various fields of activity is a witness to the phenomenal efforts of King Fahd. For the average Saudi citizen, it has truly been a story of 'from camel to Cadillac'. The kingdom made huge strides in education and economic development. A start was also made in diversifying the economy by encouraging local industry to lessen the dependence on oil for economic prosperity. For the first time in the country's history attention was paid to develop agriculture and farming on modern lines. To the surprise of every one Saudi Arabia has now become not only self sufficient in many fruits and vegetables but also an exporter .The progress achieved in the fields of education, health, housing and urban development is simply astounding. There was a time not long ago when Saudi Arabia did not have sufficient number of schools and colleges, now Saudi students are seen attending post-graduate courses in the great universities of the world.

While working for economic development, Fahd did not forget the prime importance of his country for the Islamic Ummah and his basic obligation as the custodian of Haramain Sharifain. He relinquished his royal title and instead chose to be called The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. At the same time he carried out the largest ever expansion and renovation of the Holy Kaaba and the Masjid-eNabvi to accommodate the growing number of Hajj and Umrah pilgrims, an act for which he would be remembered for a long time to come. May Allah Subhanahu wa Taala shower His blessings on his soul. Ameen!