It was King Saud's destiny to be involved in the drama of the dawn of the new state from the very day of his birth which coincided with the recapturing of Riyadh, the ancestral home of Al-Saud. He was trained by his father to be a warrior, a diplomat, and a leader which entitled him to earn his fathers trust to be appointed as his unchallenged heir to the throne. Upon his ascendancy to the throne, Saud was vigorous to serve his countrymen in his capacity as a king for eleven years and during a particularly crucial period in the Saudi history, which incorporated the transformation and modernization of the state with the help of its vast revenues of oil within the broad frame-work of Islamic values and traditions. King Saud took his role as a Muslim leader very seriously, just as he did his obligations as an Arab ruler towards the Arab people by cherishing their hopes and aspirations in the face of the internal and external challenges. Saud was undoubtedly one of the greatest of the traditional patriarchs of the long line of rulers of his dynasty. If in doubt, ask those who until now remember him as (Abu al Khairain) or (father of much munificence).