King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia , who
came to the throne in old age and
earned a reputation as a cautious
reformer even as the Arab Spring
revolts toppled heads of state and
Islamic State militants threatened the
Muslim establishment that he
represented, died on Friday, according
to a statement on state television. He
was 90.
The Royal Court said in a statement
broadcast across the kingdom that the
king had died early Friday. The royal
court did not disclose the exact cause of
death. An announcement quoted by the
official Saudi Press Agency said the king
had a lung infection when he was
admitted on Dec. 31 to a Riyadh
hospital .
The king’s death adds yet another
element of uncertainty in a region
already overwhelmed by crises and as
Saudi Arabia is itself in a struggle with
Iran for regional dominance.
The royal family moved quickly to
assure a smooth transition of power in
a nation that is a close ally of the
United States, the world’s largest
exporter of oil and the religious center
of the Islamic faith. In a televised
statement, Abdullah’s brother, Crown
Prince Salman, announced that the king
had died and that he had assumed the
throne.

He died an enviable death as he died on a Friday night. O Allah! Forgive him, and have mercy on him, overlook his sins, widen his grave and cleanse him with water and snow.