National_Anthem_of_Saudi_Arabia
Chant of the Saudi Nation
National anthem of Saudi Arabia
The Chant of the Saudi Nation (Arabic: ٱلنَّشِيْد ٱلْوَطَنِي ٱلسُّعُوْدِي, romanized: an-Našīd al-Waṭanī as-Suʿūdī) was first officially adopted in 1950 without lyrics. The piece was gifted by the King Faruq (r. 1936–1952) when King Abd al-Aziz (r. 1932–1953) made a visit to Egypt.[1] It was then adopted again in 1984 with lyrics written by Ibrahim Khafaji. The original composition was by Abd al-Rahman al-Khatib in 1947, and the brass instrumental version was later arranged by Siraj Umar.[2][3][4]
| Chant of the Saudi Nation النشيد الوطني السعودي | |
National anthem of Saudi Arabia | |
| Also known as | عاش الملك (English: "Long live the king") النشيد الوطني (English: "The National Anthem") |
|---|---|
| Lyrics | Ibrāhīm Khafājī, 1984 |
| Music | Abd al-Raḥman al-Khaṭīb (arranged by Sirāj Umar), 1947 |
| Adopted | 1950 (as instrumental) |
| Readopted | June 29, 1984 (with lyrics) |
| Audio sample | |
U.S. Navy Band instrumental version (c. 2016) | |
In 1947, because Saudi Arabia did not have a national anthem like other neighbouring countries, King Abdulaziz visited Egypt and asked Egyptian composer Abd al-Raḥman al-Khaṭīb to create a national anthem, and thus "Āsh al-Malīk" was created. The melody is based on an Arab fanfare style, and is similar to the national anthems of other Arab states in the area at the time. In 1958, Mohammed Talat wrote the first set of lyrics, which were not often heard, so King Fahd asked poet Ibrāhīm Khafājī in 1984 to come up with a new set of lyrics, which were completed within six months on 29 June 1984.[4] Khafājī's lyrics are the ones that are used officially today.[2] Saudis listened to their anthem for the first time during the celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr in 1984.[1]
"Āsh al-Malīk" is referred to by Saudi Arabians as "The National Anthem" (النشيد الوطني, an-Našīd al-Waṭanī), although it is commonly known by its incipit, "Hasten" (سارعي, Sārʿī). The lyrics call upon the country to hasten to greatness and raise the flag, glorify God, and asks Him to grant the King of Saudi Arabia long life.[4]
The instrumental version is called "The Royal Salute" (السلام الملكي, as-Salām al-Malakī), which is also the name of the ceremony in which it is played to salute senior members of the royal family as well as diplomatic figures.
Official lyrics
| Arabic original[3][5][6][7] | MSA Romanization[2] | IPA transcription[lower-alpha 1] | English translation[4] |
|---|---|---|---|
سَارْعِيْ وَارْفَعِي الْخَفَّاقَ أَخْضَرْ[lower-alpha 2] !يَا مَوْطِنِي ،مَوْطِنِي عَاشَ الْمَلِكْ |
Sārʿī |
[saː.rɪ.ʕiː] |
Hasten |
Notes: Some variations remove the word قَدْ qad before عِشْتَ فَخْرَ الْمُسْلِمِيْن ʿišta faxra'l-muslimīn! and other variations use the word المَلِيك al-malīk instead of المَلِك al-malik.
Saud lyrics (1958)
| Arabic original[9] | English translation |
|---|---|
العُلَى لِمَن؟ يابَني الوَطَنِْ |
For whom? Son of homeland |
Ibn Saud lyrics (1947)
| Arabic original[10] | English translation |
|---|---|
يعيش ملكنا الحبيب |
Long live our beloved king |
- See Help:IPA/Arabic and Saudi Arabian Arabic.
- Also sung as وَارْفَعِي الْخَفَّاقَ الْأَخْضَرْ[8]
- "Allahu Akbar" is Arabic for "God is the Greatest" but is expressed the same way by every Muslim in the world, regardless of their native language.
- "A history of the Saudi national anthem". gulfnews.com. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
- "نشيد العلم السعودي.. قصة خلدها التاريخ". Sayidaty.net (in Arabic). 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- Al Ash-Shaykh, Malik (2018-09-23). "5 facts you should know about Saudi Arabia's national anthem". Stepfeed. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- "أخطاء السلام الوطني وتقصير التربويين!". Makkah Newspaper (in Arabic). 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
- "نشيدنا الوطني: قصة، وتوضيح، وتصحيح!!". جريدة المدينة. 31 January 2012.
- Saudi Arabia: an-Nasheed al-Waṭaniy – Audio of the national anthem of Saudi Arabia, with information and lyrics (archive link)
- The Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, DC has an Audio page that includes the National Anthem in both vocal and instrumental versions.
- https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/a-history-of-the-saudi-national-anthem-1.2281470
