FOREST DEVELOPMENT AND PROTECTION IN LIGHT OF THE SHARĪ’AH AND THE STAUTORY PROVISIONS IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

The texts of the Sharī’ah (Islamic law) attended keenly to all matters that will bring benefit and value to people’s religious and worldly affairs. Since the constitution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is premised on the Qur’ān and the Sunnah, the Laws of the Kingdom in general and the ones related to the development and protection of forests in particular are consequently derived from the texts of the Sharī’ah. Hence, this paper shows the statutory provisions in the Kingdom being an extension of the texts of the Sharī’ah, and the attention of the Saudi Arabian government to the development and protection of the forests, based on the chief statutory sources – the texts of the Qur’ān and the Sunnah- and the enacted statutory provisions on the forests.