ABSTRACT
Although freedom of religion in Sa‘udi Arabia was limited to Islam and freedom of the press was haphazard at best, the right to petition remained absolute, because God Almighty commanded in his Holy Scriptures that all righteous Muslim rulers seek advice. Consequently, devout officials, who took their responsibilities seriously, never flinched from the privilege to respond to petitions. Likewise, believers seldom shied away the right to approach administrators or, as necessary, from petitioning them for specific requests. In fact, the supplication tradition existed long before the nation-state system made its appearance in the Muslim world, and chances were excellent that it would continue to flourish for the foreseeable future.
