As Muslims everywhere gather with family and loved ones to celebrate Eid, a time of thanksgiving, togetherness, and reflection, it is appropriate that we in Saudi Arabia look beyond the festivities and remember the man who made this national unity possible: King Abdulaziz bin Abdulrahman Al Saud — the founder of the modern Kingdom.

Eid in the Kingdom is more than a religious occasion. It is a celebration of a united nation, of a stable state that weathered the storms of the 20th century and is now a regional and international power. It is an occasion to acknowledge that none of this would have been achievable without the vision, courage, and steadfast leadership of King Abdulaziz.

When King Abdulaziz set about unifying the Arabian Peninsula, he was not merely conquering land. He was laying the foundations of a state on firm bases — Islam as a unifying force, stability as a national interest, and progress as a future aspiration. What he founded was more than a kingdom — it was a will. A legacy to future generations that this nation was not to stand still, but to rise.

Today, we live that will.

In education, Saudi Arabia has developed from a largely illiterate citizenry to a country where universities are world-ranked and scholarship programs power national development. The journey was launched by King Abdulaziz, who prioritized learning, and is being continued by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose Vision 2030 strongly invests in knowledge economies and research-driven institutions.

In energy, the founder's visionary embrace of oil resources laid the cornerstone of one of the world's greatest energy powers. Yet the genius of his vision was not only in extraction but in sovereignty — using resources to drive policy and ensure independence. Today, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is walking in the same path, diversifying energy via NEOM, renewables, and hydrogen while ensuring that Saudi Arabia remains the world's anchor of energy stability.

Politically, King Abdulaziz understood the geopolitics of his era and placed the Kingdom on the map as a pivot between East and West. He made alliances, protected sovereignty, and maintained Islamic unity. That doctrine has not changed. Saudi Arabia today shapes G20 decisions, mediates in global disputes, and asserts a more independent, but pragmatic, foreign policy under the Crown Prince — all founded upon King Abdulaziz’s initial principles.

In religion, King Abdulaziz transformed Makkah and Madinahfrom mere places of pilgrimage to places of service. He implanted in the Saudi identity the sacred responsibility of serving Islam and Muslims worldwide. Eid is when this legacy is most visible — millions visit the Kingdom, and the Saudi state takes care of their security, spirituality, and comfort. This is not a seasonal program — it is an eternal national pursuit, faithfully continued by Mohammed bin Salman who is investing in the Pilgrim Experience Program to enrich the spiritual experience for future generations.

So this Eid, as we pray in peace and gather in prosperity, let us not forget that these blessings were not formed in isolation. They were dreamed into existence by a man with a dream and struggled for by generations who refused to let the dream perish.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is not just leading; he is also following. He is following in the footsteps of King Abdulaziz — modernizing without compromising, reforming without destabilizing, and building not just for today, but for the next hundred years. And that is why Eid is the perfect time to honor the founder. For without him, there would be no Kingdom to celebrate.