PM Modi condoles passing away of S. Arabia King Abdullah

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has condoled the passing away of Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah.

In his condolence message on Twitter, Prime Minister Modi said, "In King Abdullah, we have lost an important voice who left a lasting impact on his country. I condole his demise."

"Our thoughts are with the people of Saudi Arabia, who have lost a guiding force in King Abdullah, during this hour of grief," he added.

"A few days ago I spoke to Crown Prince Salman and enquired about King Abdullah's health. News of King Abdullah's passing away is saddening," he said further.

Saudi Arabian Government officials confirmed King Abdullah's demise on Friday. He was 90.

The cause of death was not revealed, but they said that the monarch had been in hospital since December and had been placed on a respirator.

The royal court, in an announcement quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency, said the king had a lung infection when he was admitted on Dec. 31 to the Riyadh hospital named for his father, Abdul Aziz, who through conquest and multiple marriages forged the desert kingdom in the years after the destruction of the Ottoman Empire.

Succession was swift. Abdullah's brother and Crown Prince, Salman, has been named as the next King of Saudi Arabia in a statement attributed to him on Saudi state television.

King Abdullah., who came to the throne in old age and earned a reputation as a cautious reformer.

As king he also bore the title of custodian of Islam's holiest mosques, in Mecca and Medina, making him one of the faith's most important figures.

Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud was born in Riyadh in 1924 into a vast, complicated family. His father, Abdul Aziz, had many as 22 wives. His mother was Fahda bint Asi al-Shuraim, was a daughter of the chief of the Shammar, whose influence extended into Syria, Iraq and Jordan. Abdullah was Fahda's only son. She also had two daughters.

King Abdul Aziz was not an indulgent father to his dozens of sons. He was quoted as saying, "I train my own children to walk barefoot, to rise two hours before dawn, to eat but little, to ride horses bareback."

When the young Abdullah once neglected to offer his seat to a guest, Abdul Aziz sentenced him to three days in prison.

Abdullah, who overcame a stutter, was educated in religion, Arab literature and science by Islamic scholars at the royal court. From the Bedouin nomads, he learned traditional ways, including horsemanship and desert warfare. In 1962, he was appointed commander of the National Guard, which draws recruits from the Bedouin tribes, protects the king and acts as a counterweight to the army.

Four of Abdullah's half brothers preceded him to the throne.

King Khalid appointed Abdullah as second deputy prime minister in 1975. In 1982, Fahd, Khalid's successor, named him deputy prime minister and crown prince.

After Fahd's stroke, Abdullah ran the government at first as regent. Political pressures later forced the removal of the regent title, but Abdullah remained the effective decision-maker until assuming the throne in 2005. He refused to sign any official papers with his own name as long as his stricken brother lived. Fahd died August 1, 2005.

King Abdullah spoke as plainly as the Bedouin tribesmen with whom he had been sent to live in his youth. He refused to be called "your majesty" and discouraged commoners from kissing his hand. He shocked the 7,000 or so Saudi princes and princesses by cutting their allowances. He was described as ascetic, or as ascetic as someone in the habit of renting out entire hotels could be.

King Abdullah's reign was a constant effort to balance desert traditions with the demands of the modern world, making him appear at times to be shifting from one to the other.

In line with Islamic law, King Abdullah kept no more than four wives at once, and was married at least 13 times. He fathered at least seven sons, nearly all of whom have occupied powerful positions as provincial governors and officers in the National Guard. Of his 15 known daughters, one is a prominent physician, and another has appeared on television to advocate for women's rights.