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?Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi

?Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi, the world-renowned philanthropist and winner of the 2012 King

?Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, has not always been a billionaire.organizes and oversees a substantial number of charities and humanitarian activities worldwide.?Sulaiman Al-Rajhi was awarded the highly prestigious King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, in 2012, in recognition of his outstanding service to Islam, his role in the establishment of the world's largest Islamic bank and his ongoing contribution to charities, and humanitarian projects' fight against poverty.?Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi is also chairman of the National Agricultural Development Company and founder of the Al-Watania agricultural projects, which include the largest poultry farm in the Middle East and one of the most successful companies in Saudi Arabia.He has also introduced and supported organic farming throughout the Middle East, intent on securing healthy food for all as a means of fostering good health, preventing illness and consequently reducing the cost of medical treatment.The foundation.

‏Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi

‏Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi, the world-renowned philanthropist and winner of the 2012 King

‏Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, has not always been a billionaire. Born in 1929, he spent his youth in Al-Qassim where he and his brother Saleh began their business, changing money for pilgrims, on their way to the cities of Makkah and Madinah.

‏Their business expanded in the 1970s during the oil boom in Saudi Arabia. The Al-Rajhi brothers helped migrant workers from Indonesia, Pakistan and other places to send their eamings home. They were granted permission to establish a bank, the Al Rajhi Bank, which complied with religious tenets such as a ban on interest.

‏Founding the barik, which is now the world's biggest Islamic lender, was not hurdle-free. Sulaiman Al-Rajhi began by opening an office in Britain, to introduce the Islamic banking system on a more international basis. However, his initial attempts to secure a banking license were unsuccessful, as British officials were not aware of the principles and requirements of Islamic banking. He had to travel to different countries in order to explain to bankers that interest was forbidden by Islam and regarded as unacceptable by pious people all over the world. He pointed out that interest caused a lot of people to avoid transactions with banks and to keep their cash and valuables at home. Eventually, the banking system he proposed was launched in Saudi

‏Arabia and subsequently implemented in the United Kingdom.

‏Sheikh Sulaiman bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Rajhi is also chairman of the National Agricultural Development Company and founder of the Al-Watania agricultural projects, which include the largest poultry farm in the Middle East and one of the most successful companies in Saudi Arabia. Al Rajhi had visited a poultry farm abroad and had been shocked by the improper way chickens were fed and slaughtered. This prompted him to launch the poultry farm project, making sure that chickens were naturally fed and halal slaughtered according to Islamic tenets. He has also introduced and supported organic farming throughout the Middle East, intent on securing healthy food for all as a means of fostering good health, preventing illness and consequently reducing the cost of medical treatment. The Al-Rajhi projects diversified into other areas, as well, such as real estate and other investment projects.

‏In 2009, Sulaiman Al-Rajhi established the Sulaiman Al-Rajhi University, a non-profit research university with three departments; Medicine, Nursing, and Applied Science. In fact, the university was established by the Awqaf Sulaiman Al Rajhi Holding Company (ASARHC), which is considered the largest foundation of its kind in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in terms of capital as well as range and volume of activities. ASARHC now

‏owns and controls more than half of Sulaiman Al-Rajhi's wealth. The foundation. organizes and oversees a substantial number of charities and humanitarian activities worldwide.

‏In May 2011, Sulaiman Al-Rajhi announced that he was donating most of his $7.7 billion fortune to charity. During his lifetime, Al-Rajhi distributed the rest of his wealth to his children in order to avoid potential disputes over inheritance, that could destroy kinship and

‏harmony among them.

‏Sulaiman Al-Rajhi was awarded the highly prestigious King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam, in 2012, in recognition of his outstanding service to Islam, his role in the establishment of the world's largest Islamic bank and his ongoing contribution to charities, and humanitarian projects' fight against poverty. Having experienced extreme poverty earlier in life, Al-Rajhi chose to donate and distribute all his assets, to gain peace of mind and inner happiness