The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a unitary absolute monarchy,along traditional Islamist lines,where the King is both the head of state and government. Decisions are,to a large extent,made on the basis of consultation among the King,the Council of Ministers,Islamic scholars,tribal leaders and other traditional elites of the society. Saudi government is authoritarian,although some analysts have characterized the government of Mohammed bin Salman as totalitarian. The Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia,Mohammed bin Salman,is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. Under his rule,he has centralized policymaking,purged competing political elites,and dismantled pre-existing power-sharing dynamics.
The House of Saud is the ruling royal family of Saudi Arabia. It is composed of the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud,founder of the Emirate of Diriyah,known as the First Saudi state (1727–1818),and his brothers,though the ruling faction of the family is primarily led by the descendants of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman,the modern founder of Saudi Arabia. It forms a subtribe of the larger prominent ancient Banu Hanifa tribe of Arabia,from which well known 7th century Arabian theologist Maslama ibn Ḥabīb originates. The most influential position of the royal family is the King of Saudi Arabia,an absolute monarch. The family in total is estimated to comprise 10,000 to 20,000 members;however,the majority of power,influence and wealth is possessed by a group of about 2,000 of them. Some estimates of the royal family's wealth measure their net worth at $1.4 trillion.This figure includes the market capitalization of Saudi Aramco,the state oil and gas company,and its vast assets in fossil fuel reserves,making them the wealthiest family in the world and the wealthiest in recorded history.
Elections in Saudi Arabia are rare. Municipal elections were last held in 2015,the first time women had the right to vote and stand as candidates.
Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (Arabic:جامعةالإماممحمدبنسعودالإسلامية),commonly known as Al-Imam University,is a public university in the sub-municipality of Shemal in Riyadh,Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1950 as an Islamic seminary by Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ash-Sheikh,the first Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia. It was renamed the College of Sharia in 1953,before becoming a full-fledged university through amalgamations of other colleges and assuming its current name in 1974. The university also has overseas presence in Indonesia and Djibouti.
Princes' School is a school in Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.
Saud ibn Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al-Shuraim;born 19 January 1966) is a Quranic reciter who was one of the prayer leaders and Friday preachers at the Grand Mosque Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. He also holds a Ph.D degree in Sharia at the Umm al-Qura University in Mecca. Shuraim was recently appointed as dean and "Specialist Professor in Fiqh" at the University.
Shaikh Abdullah Mohammed Al-Hugail is a businessman. He is the former and longest-serving Chairman of the Saudi British Bank SABB for nearly twenty two years. From 1997 to 2005 he was a member of the Majlis Al Shura. He received his Degree in Arabic Language and Literature,from Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.
The Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia,also known as Majlis ash-Shura or Shura Council, is the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia. It is a deliberative assembly that advises the King on issues that are important to Saudi Arabia. It has the power to propose laws to the King of Saudi Arabia and his cabinet to prove it and pass it. It has 150 members,all appointed by the king and chosen "from amongst scholars,those of knowledge,expertise and specialists". Since 2013,the Assembly has included 30 female members out of the total of 150 members,after a 20 percent minimum quota for women was imposed. The Consultative Assembly is headed by a Speaker. As of 2016,the Speaker was Abdullah ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh,in line with a tradition that kept the post in that family. The Assembly is based in al-Yamamah Palace,Riyadh.
The order of succession to the Saudi Arabian throne is determined by,and within,the House of Saud. Every King of Saudi Arabia,upon his death,has been succeeded by the crown prince,with a new crown prince then being appointed according to agnatic seniority among the sons of Ibn Saud,though various members of the family have been bypassed for various reasons. A deputy crown prince was first selected in 2014.
The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia is a constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters,consisting of 83 articles. The Basic Law states that the constitution of Saudi Arabia is "the Holy Qur'an,and the Sunna (Traditions)" of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. However,the Basic Law contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries. The Basic Law is in accordance with a Wahhabi understanding of Islamic law.
Ṣāliḥibn ʻAbd Allāh ibn Ḥumayd,is a Saudi Arabian Imam and politician. He is currently one of the nine Imams of Grand Mosque of Mecca. He is also member of Assembly of Saudi Arabia since 1993 and had served Speaker of Majlis al Shura from February 2002 to February 2009.
The Al ash-Sheikh,also transliterated in a number of other ways,including Al ash-Shaykh,Al ash-Shaikh,Al al-Shaykh or Al-Shaykh is Saudi Arabia's leading religious family. They are the descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. In Saudi Arabia,the family is second in prestige only to the Saudi royal family,the Al Saud,with whom they formed a power-sharing arrangement nearly 300 years ago. The arrangement,which persists to this day,is based on the Al Saud maintaining the Al ash-Sheikh's authority in religious matters and the Al ash-Sheikh supporting the Al Saud's political authority.
Saleh bin Abdul-Aziz Al ash-Sheikh is a Saudi cleric who served as the minister of Islamic affairs,endowments,call and guidance of Saudi Arabia between 1996 and 2014,and again since 2015. He is a member of the Al ash-Sheikh,the influential Saudi religious family.
Muḥammad ibn ʾIbrāhīm ibn ʿAbd al-Laṭīf ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Ḥasan ibn Muḥammad ibn Abd al-Wahhāb Al Shaykh Al-Tamīmī,was a Saudi Arabian religious scholar who served as the first Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia from 1953 until his death in 1969. He is recognized as being amongst the forefront of Salafi theologians in history.
Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh was a leading Salafi scholar in Saudi Arabia and minister of justice between 1975 and 1990.
Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al Barrak is a Saudi academic. He was the minister of civil service between 13 December 2011 and 2015.
Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin,also known as Ibn Saud,was the emir of Diriyah and is considered the founder of the First Saudi State and the Saud dynasty,which are named for his father,Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin. His reign lasted between 1727 and 1765.
Supreme Council of Magistracy of Saudi Arabia is a seven-eleven member council appointed by the King in the legal system of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It supervises the lower courts of Saudi Arabia –overseeing judges' performances and new judicial appointments –but also provides "legal opinions,advises the King,and reviews sentences involving death,stoning,or amputation".. The Minister of Justice serves as the chief of the Council.
The Ministry of Education(MoE) (Arabic:وزارةالتعليم),before 2003 as the Ministry of Knowledge and until 1953 as the Directorate of Knowledge,is a government ministry in Saudi Arabia that is responsible for regulating primary,secondary and higher education in the country. It was established in 1926 by King Abdulaziz ibn Saud in the Kingdom of Nejd and Hejaz. Since the amalgamations of the General Presidency for Girls' Education (GPGE) in 2002 and the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in 2015,it became the sole body which supervises all schools,universities and colleges in the country.
Saad ibn Nasser al-Shathri [Arabic سعدبنناصرالشثري] is an Islamic scholar from Saudi Arabia. Since 2015,he has been a member of the country's Council of Senior Scholars and an advisor to the royal court of King Salman.
