Basic Law of Saudi Arabia
constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters
The Basic Law of Saudi Arabia (alternative name: Basic System of Governance; Arabic: النظام الأساسي للحكم, romanized: al-Nidham al-Asasi lil-Hukm) is a constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters, consisting of 83 articles.
The Basic Law (in Article One) states that the constitution of Saudi Arabia is "the Holy Quran, and the Sunnah (Traditions)" of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. However, the Basic Law contains many characteristics of what might be called a constitution in other countries ("The Law of Governance", "Rights and Duties"). The Basic Law is per the Sunni Salafi School understanding of Islamic law.
History
Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the First Gulf War, King Fahd issued a royal decree that was published in official television and newspapers on 31 January 1992. The Decree stated the following:
Royal Decree No. A/90
27/8/1412 AH
By the Help of God,
We, Fahd bin Abdulaziz, the King of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, consistent with the public interest, and in view with the development of the State in different fields, in addition to our enthusiasm to achieve our prospected objectives, we ordered the following:
First: Issue the Basic System of Governance according to the context herein below.
Second: Act in accordance with all the systems, orders, and resolutions that are currently adopted, until they are amended pursuant to the Basic System of Governance.
Third: The Basic System of Governance shall be published in the official journal and shall be enforceable as of the date of its publication.
Saudi cultural and religious views stigmatize any reference to "Constitution" other than the Qur'an and the practice of Muhammad.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Basic Law of Saudi Arabia” as constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the history & society register because the source frames it as constitution-like charter divided into nine chapters. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Chronology, provenance and viewpoint should be read together before a broad social or political interpretation is accepted. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2616122. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1992 and 1412.
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This entry incorporates text from “Basic Law of Saudi Arabia” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.