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'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous' [55r] (119/366)
The record is made up of 1 volume (182 folios). It was created in 17 Feb 1930-4 Apr 1932. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
this document is the property of his britannic majesty's goyernmbht.
—
RESIDENCY
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India.
.
N't BU5>- - I
EASTERN (Arabia). „ June 10, 1931.
v C
CONFIDENTIAL. ) - - —' S ection 1.
- b Cuii I
V. V i
V
[E 3020/3020/25J No. 1.
Sir A. Ryan to Mr. A. Henderson.—(Received June 10.)
(No. 172.)
Sir, Jed da, May 13, 1931.
AS you are aware, it has become the practice of Ibn Saud to give a banquet
for Moslem notables of all nations each year at pilgrimage time. This year it
took place on the evening of the 24th April, and was attended by a rather unusual
number of Moslems of high standing, if in most cases of no great political
importance. The King had on his right ex-King Amanullah of Afghanistan,
and on his left Sheikh Ahmed-es-Senussi. Among others present were Prince
Ahmed Tevhid of Turkey, whose visit I have reported separately, the members of
Nadir Khan's official delegation, the Afghan Minister in Cairo, Sir Abdul-Kerim
Ghuznavi, of the Council of the Governor of Bengal, and various minor
notabilities.
2. The King delivered the principal speech of the evening and spoke
strongly on one of his favourite subjects, the weakening of Islam by disunion
and by the pursuit of false ideals like that of supposing the imitation of
Europeans to be the only way to progress. Had any of the exponents of this
theory, he asked, succeeded in making a needle, an aeroplane, a rifle or a gun?
No; they imitated the Europeans only in those things contrary to Islam.
3. At this point the King took up a reference by an earlier speaker to an
utterance of the Indian leader, Shauqat Ali, during his recent tour about our
brothers the Jews." This drew from Ibn Saud a tirade directed not so much
against that people as against any idea of fraternity save in Islam, which was,
he said, the means of happiness in this world and the next. He swore a triple
oath affirming his wish that all peoples should accept Islam, and declared his
preference for the life of one eating herbs on a mountain top, and worshipping
God, over all earthly grandeur. God, he said, had divided Moslems into two
classes, the warriors ever in readiness to defend their religion, and those others
engaged in industry, agriculture, &c. He reproached Moslems with their
internal strife. Pointing to the Turkish Prince present, he described how his
ancestors had fought those of the prince rather than call themselves servants of
the " Commander of the Faithful."' They were the servants of God only.
4. The King attenuated the militant tone of his speech by saying towards
the end that he did not profess to be fighting against the people of the world and
used the courtesy prescribed by Islam unless he was injured in his religion and
his country. He ended with a call to all Moslems to turn to the service of God
and the good way of their forbears.
5. This speech was rendered into Urdu by the Indian Ismail Ghuznavi.
Various other speeches were also delivered in the course of the evening, including
one in English by Sir Abdul-Kerim Ghuznavi.
6. The above account of the proceedings is based mainly on the authorised
report in the " Umm-al-Qura " of the 1st May. Although it gives the King's
address as a connected whole, he would appear to have in fact spoken both
before and after dinner. I understand from private sources that the guest who
indiscreetly quoted Shauqat Ali was an Egyptian. Not all the oratory was, it
seems, to the King's taste, and not all the guests were entirely pleased with His
Majesty. My informant describes the function as having ended in an atmosphere
of tension. One of the speakers who praised the King was Saif-ur-Rahman, who
has been mentioned in other reports as having become the spokesman of the official
delegation from Kabul on various occasions. It is said that Amanullah Khan
also thought of saying something, but thought better of it.
7. I am sending copies of this despatch to the Secretary to the Government
of India in the Foreign and Political Department, and also to His Majesty's High
Commissioner at Jerusalem, in case Ibn Saud's remarks about the Jews should
have any echo in Palestine.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
[165 k—1]
About this item
- Content
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memoranda relating to Hejaz affairs. Most of the correspondence is between the British Legation in Jeddah, the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in Bushire, the Political Agencies in Bahrain and Kuwait, the Foreign and Colonial Offices in London, and the Government of India.
The majority of the volume concerns the internal affairs of the Kingdom of Hejaz-Najd and its Dependencies, especially the financial difficulties it was experiencing at the time and attempts to counter them.
Other subjects covered are:
- the prospect of the Kingdom joining the League of Nations;
- the appointment of a Minister in London;
- al-Qusaibi's proposed visit to London;
- the different uses of the title "Sheikh";
- American recognition of Ibn Sa'ud as King;
- the mineral prospecting of the American millionaire Mr C. R. Crane;
- American appraisal of the water situation in the region;
- the religious policing activities of the Committee of Virtue in the Hejaz;
- the arrest of two members of the royal family between Kuwait and Zubair;
- the territorial dispute between Ibn Sa'ud and Yemen;
- relations between Ibn Sa'ud and Italy.
A notable document within the volume is a confidential report on the heads of all foreign missions in Jeddah (folios 163-164).
At the back of the volume (folios 165-170) are office file notes.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (182 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged chronologically. There is a partial and non-alphabetical list of subjects at the front of the volume (folio 2). The list identifies some of the earlier subject correspondence in the volume and where it occurs, according to its original numbering, as folios 17 to 41a.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The sequence starts on the first page with ff 1A-1D and then continues from f 2 to the inside back cover. The numbers are written in pencil, circled and located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The are the following anomalies: f 38A; f 91A; f 108A; f 128A; f 146A; there is no f 119.
There are two more sequences that are inconsistent and incomplete.
- Written in
- English in Latin script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/567
- Title
- 'File 61/11 IV (D 77) Hejaz-Nejd, Miscellaneous'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1ar:1dv, 2r:38v, 38ar:38av, 39r:108v, 108ar:108av, 109r:128v, 128ar:128av, 129r:146v, 146ar:146av, 147r:158v, 159v:160v, 161v:174v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence