Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

فهد بن عبد العزيز آل سعود

– †

† Hijri date derived by computation from the Gregorian/Julian date; it may differ from the transmitted date by a day or two.

Fifth King of Saudi Arabia (r. 1982–2005) and the eldest of the Sudairi Seven, the sons of King Abdulaziz by Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He was Minister of Education (1953–1962), Interior Minister (1962–1975) and Crown Prince (1975–1982); as king he adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in 1986 and introduced the Basic Law of Governance in 1992. After his stroke in 1995 Crown Prince Abdullah governed in practice until Fahd's death at Riyadh on 1 August 2005.

Depth

At a glance

Roles
Ruler
Region
Arabia
Identifiers
Wikidata
Review

Life in time

18751900192519501975200020252050
The Colonial Era · The Contemporary Era · The Modern Era Contemporaries: Abdul Hameed Khan Swati · Abdul Latif Chowdhury Fultali · Aden Adde · Ahmed Ben Bella · Ahmed Deedat

Place in the story

    Unknown (unknown)

    Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.

    Early life and offices before the throne

    He was the eldest of the Sudairi Seven, the sons of King Abdulaziz by Hassa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. He was his country's first Minister of Education (1953–1962), then Interior Minister (1962–1975), then Crown Prince and deputy prime minister from 1975 under his brother King Khalid, during whose later years Fahd was the kingdom's de facto leader. 1

    Reign

    He became king on 13 June 1982. In 1986 he adopted the title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in place of "His Majesty", and in 1992 he introduced the Basic Law of Governance, the kingdom's first written framework of government. In 1995 he suffered a debilitating stroke after which he could no longer perform his full duties, and Crown Prince Abdullah ran the country in practice until the king's death. 1 2

    Death

    King Fahd died at Riyadh on 1 August 2005 and was succeeded by his brother, Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz. 1 3

    Note on the record

    No source names a religious school for King Fahd: neither the English nor the Arabic article's text states one, neither infobox carries a religion field, and Wikidata's religion value is Islam only. A Sunni reading rests on category filings alone — the Arabic article files him under "Saudi Sunni Muslims" and the Urdu stub under "Saudi Sunni Muslims" (سعودی سنی مسلم) — and filings do not attest; his title Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques is an office he held, not a personal attestation. His school is therefore recorded as unknown, with the Sunni reading preserved here. 4 2 3

    Sources

    Connections

    Explore the connections

    Predecessor of
    Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
    Successor of
    Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
    Child of
    Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud
    Member of
    House of Saud

    People and things also explored

    House of Saud· Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud· Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud· Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud· Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud· Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Saud· Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud· Ta'if

    Sources

    1. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — English Wikipedia
    2. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — Urdu Wikipedia
    3. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — Wikidata Q183187
    4. Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud — Arabic Wikipedia
    Cite this page

    islam.museum contributors. “Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/fahd-bin-abdulaziz/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-27.

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    House of Saud

    Draft card for the House of Saud, the ruling house of the first and second Saudi states and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; the page not yet checked.