National Anthem of Saudi Arabia () is the national anthem of Saudi Arabia. It was first officially adopted in 1950 without lyrics. The piece was gifted by the King Farouk of Egypt () when King Abd al-Aziz () made a visit to Egypt. It was then adopted again in 1984 with lyrics written by Ibrahim Khafaji. The original composition was by Abd al-Rahman al-Khatib in 1947, and the brass instrumental version was later arranged by Siraj Umar.
Overview
Unlike its neighbours, Saudi Arabia did not have a national anthem in 1947. Therefore, King Abdulaziz travelled to Egypt and commissioned Abd al-Rahman al-Khaṭib, an Egyptian composer, to write one. The result was 'Ash-Shams al-Malik'. Based on the style of Arab fanfares, its melody is similar to those of other Arab states in the region at the time. In 1958, Mohammed Talat wrote the first set of lyrics, which were rarely performed. In 1984, King Fahd commissioned the poet Ibrahim Khafaji to write new lyrics, which he completed on 29 June.
!MSA Romanization
يَحْمِلُ النُّورَ المُسَطَّر
رَدِّدِي: اللَّهُ أَكْبَر
يَا مَوْطِنِي
مَوْطِنِي
قَدْ عِشْتَ فَخْرَ الْمُسْلِمِين
عَاشَ المَلِك
لِلعَلَم
وَالوَطَن</poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem></poem>
|<poem>Hasten
To glory and supremacy,
Glory in the Creator of the heavens!
And raise the green flag
Carrying the written light reflecting guidance,
Repeat: God is the greatest!
O my homeland!
My homeland,
Live as the pride of the Muslims!
Long live the King
For the flag
And the land!</poem>
|}
Notes: Some variations remove the word قَدْ qad before "عِشْتَ فَخْرَ الْمُسْلِمِيْن ʿišta faxra l-muslimīn" and other variations use the word المَلِيك al-malīk instead of المَلِك al-malik.
Saud lyrics (1958)
{| class="wikitable"
!Arabic original
!English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem dir="rtl" style="line-height:1.52em;"></poem>
|<poem>For whom? Son of homeland
We are the eternity of time
They asked the old, the years
They chant, Saudi Arabia's King
To the great majesty of the wise leader of Arabia
Our souls are ransom, our motto is guidance, peace is in the dark, for the crown of the homeland
A planet in the sky has its throne from Aba
His crown is a jewel of the faithful, his glory is a torch of light
Long live the king, long live the homeland
Our proud youth lead the pioneer of jihad
The Saudis of the Father, and an Arab army surrounded by the Prophet, blessing the homeland
Roaring fever, Sama, respond
And give my name to Mina, and bear witness that we are young lions.
Long live the king, long live the homeland
The flag crowns the isle, embraces the scholars and sanctuaries
Our palms are majestic, our swords are as long as our king is a crescent, decorating the homeland
His justice in time is evident
His lion, his antelope, in the safety of his people, his soldiers, will not be insulted
Long live the king, long live the homeland</poem>
|}
Ibn Saud lyrics (1947)
{| class="wikitable"
!Arabic original
!English translation
|- style="vertical-align:top; white-space:nowrap;"
|<poem dir="rtl" style="line-height:1.52em;"></poem>
|<poem>Long live our beloved king
Our souls are the protector of the sanctuary
Come on, cheer, long live the king
Come on, raise the flag of the homeland
Cheer and chant the anthem
Long live the king</poem>
|}
See also
- National symbols of Saudi Arabia
Notes
References
External links
- Saudi Arabia: an-Nasheed al-Waṭaniy – Audio of the national anthem of Saudi Arabia, with information and lyrics (archive link)
- The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC has an Audio page that includes the National Anthem in both vocal and instrumental versions.
- https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/a-history-of-the-saudi-national-anthem-1.2281470