At the beginning of the meetings of the new “Model Program” at PSU, a meeting with HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi was held in PSU auditorium in a lecture entitled "Biography and The March of HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi"

Covered by: Abdul Hameed Assawadi and Tareq Hassan

Hosted by PSU on Saturday 30 Safar 1429 H. to coincide with March 8, 2008 within the new “Model Program” at the PSU, a meeting with HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi was held in PSU auditorium in a lecture entitled "Biography and March of HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi".

Started at six-thirty in the evening with a recitation of the holy Qur’an, then HE Dr. Ahmed Al-Yamani; PSU Rector; gave a short speech in which he welcomed Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajihi and thanked him for accepting the PSU invitation although he is very busy. HE pointed also to the continuing support received by the University from His Royal Highness Prince Sultan and His Royal Highness Prince Salman to develop the university and push it forward. HE thanked in his speech the audience, and the organizing committee of this meeting, particularly Dr. Obaid Al-Abdali; the rector’s consultant and chief editor of the PSU newspaper (Taif Al-Jameah).

After that, Dr. Obaid Al-Abdali introduced the big guest and emphasized the significant success achieved by him in his career life although he does not carry any educational certificates. He mentioned that he is now the general manager of Al Rajihi Bank and the general manager of many other Al Rajihi projects that are affiliated to the group of companies and factories of Al Rajihi in agriculture, industry and trade, real estates, fisheries and livestock, and even in the field of air transport.

Subsequently, HE Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajihi started talking about Al Rajihi Bank, which was began in simple and primitive money exchange operations, and then work gradually evolved until it took the form of bank transactions through Al Rajihi Banking Company which has been transferred recently to Al Rajihi Bank. He stressed the point that Al Rajihi Bank pays particular attention to the Islamic financial transactions away from interest transactions. HE Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajihi himself was keen to hold bilateral agreements with several international banks which states not to deal with interest among themselves, but under certain fees for each type of transactions which will be agreed upon in advance.

HE Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajihi insisted in his lecture more than once that the honest behavior with Allah and with people after the Allah blessing is the success factor in any work. HE stressed that this was what happened with him; as he insisted on leaving dealing with interests in banking transactions in response to God, and the result was that the Allah blessed his efforts and his living and Al-Rajhi Bank became one of the best and most profitable banks at the level of the kingdom.

HE Sheikh Suleiman Al Rajihi also spoke about his experience in the field of agricultural resources and that he was careful not to use pesticides or chemical fertilizers in his projects for the lofty goal to provide agricultural products pure free from the effects of pesticides and chemicals. HE also explained how pesticides were replaced by beneficial insects, and the chemical fertilizers were replaced by natural organic fertilizers, and how this experience had been a great success and won the very desirability of many consulting firms in this area inside and outside the Kingdom to have access to these tests to benefit from their valuable experiment.

Thereafter Dr. Abdali starts reading questions from the audience: in response to a question on how to resist the obstacles and how businesses are successful, HE Sheikh Al Rajhi said that any man whenever his actions were honest with himself and with his parents and with his nation, he must get allied success, but he has to come to work before his staff and goes after them, it is the most important reasons for success in any business. He called on young people before they acquire experience to consent at the outset to any suitable position and then develop their capabilities gradually and then they can be moved to better and higher jobs in the hierarchy or to create their new project possibly after they have gained necessary experience.

In HE’s reply to a question from the Girls College for the question: Do you take a salary, he replied by saying yes I am getting a large salary and I am spending it in the name of Allah, and advised everyone to this effect in the name of Allah. even if the person receives a salary of one thousand Riyals only, he should consider to give away for Allah as much as he can since there is the promise of Allah that anything spent for Allah will be returned to the giver as much more than what was spent.

In answering a question: Does Sheikh Al Rajhi feel lucky and happy in his life? He said that he did not see so far anybody that is happier than him. He added “I am in constant search of charitable work, and thank Allah I am happy, my children are happy and I like that my family are all happy”. In answering a question: How Sheikh Al-Rajhi spent his time with the family? HE said that he sleeps early, and get early to pray and goes directly to his work; but also he gives enough time to his family. In answering a question from the girls college about loans that have been inflicted the citizens, HE responded by saying why borrow if you are not in need of it, you must lend feet to the maximum of your bed only, and not to borrow except in the case of necessity, the price rises in almost every thing, the price rises, a global phenomenon, wheat was raised globally by three SR, we have to buy and eat in a reasonable allowance and not to spend on any meaningless thing.


On a question about the poultry project? HE said the main motive behind entering the poultry project was purely Islamic. Before entering the poultry project, I toured around the world for the techniques that are used in the breeding and slaughter of poultry, and found that there is a considerable suspicion in the process of slaughtering, and the words (grasp on the Islamic way) were put for marketing only. I told myself how to leave citizens and residents eat such suspicion products? For this project we have established poultry assuming risk, and hard, and financial loss, but we resisted and struggled until now, Allah thankfully, good legitimate and profitable project, and we have been able to strongly enter the market. In a question from college girls from areas that encourage women to enter the? HE said that he found that the best is to invest in real estate after consulting people from the same major.

At the conclusion of his advice to the young minds that use everything, and putting them in obedience to Allah and obedience to parents and then to commence their work bravely.

At the end of the meeting, Dr. Abdali thanked the guest on the preference of the large audience and commemorate this evening within HE visit, and then Dr. Ahmed Yamani presented a memorial plaque to big guest on this occasion wishing him all the continued success and long charity life.

The notes on the margin of the meeting:
- All positions of the auditorium were filled. And the number of standing people was more than sitting.
- It took us half an hour to search for a car parking outside the university.
- The end of the lecture was about 8 pm, people done Isha prayer at the university mosque in two waves, despite of the large mosque.
- Most of those present were young people aged between twenty and forty.

Photos
HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi Arrived to PSU	Dr. Yamani giving his Welcome Note	Crowded Audience for the event
Crowded Audience for the event	Dr. Obaid Al-Abdali Introduces the Guest	HE Sheikh Suleiman Al-Rajihi on the Lecture
Some of the Standing Audience	Dr. Yamani Honors the guest at the end of the event