The traditional succession in Arab monarchies, since pre-Islamic times, doesn’t follow any particular position in a the person’s genealogy like in European monarchies. The process of choosing a ruler between the royal descendants could involve a variety of methods, including nomination by the previous ruler, selection by a council of important figures, or through the “Bay’ah”.

The “Bayʿah” (Arabic: بَيْعَة, “Pledge of allegiance“), is an oath of allegiance to a leader. Bayʿah is sometimes taken under a written pact given on behalf of the subjects by leading members of the tribe with the understanding that as long as the leader abides by certain requirements towards his people, they are to maintain their allegiance to him. Bayʿah is still practiced in countries such as Saudi Arabia and Sudan. In Morocco, bayʿah is one of the foundations of the monarchy.

If a family member disagrees with the chosen name, he has to put forth his own name as pretender or support an already existing candidate.

Only lately, some monarchies have been adopting a fixed system of succession. However, still in Saudi Arabia the appointment by the ruler and/or the Bay’ah are predominant. The objective is that the most fit to rule is chosen, not necessarily the oldest like in Europe. For example, the crown prince Mohammed is the 5th son of the King Salman. The only pre-requisite is to descend from one of the rulers in male line.