Meet Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi, the Saudi businessman who literally donated himself out of the billionaire club. At 95 years old, he’s given away two-thirds of his entire fortune to charity and kept just one-third for his family.

His story is incredible. Born into poverty, he started working at age 9 as a porter carrying shopping bags for six Saudi riyals a month. He slept on gravel floors, wore the same clothes every day, and worked as everything from a date picker to a hotel cook to a kerosene seller.

In 1957, he and his brothers founded Al Rajhi Bank, which grew into one of the world’s largest Islamic banks. The family became Saudi Arabia’s wealthiest non-royals, but Sulaiman never forgot where he came from.

When asked what he kept for himself after giving away billions, he smiled and said “Simply, nothing! I am in my eighties – what would I possibly need? The endowment pays my bills and provides everything I need, which I try to keep at minimum.”

His $16 billion in donations is considered one of the largest charitable endowments in Islamic history. The money supports education, healthcare, and social development across Saudi Arabia and beyond through his charitable foundation.

He went from sleeping on gravel to building a banking empire, then gave most of it away because he believed wealth should benefit others. That’s what real success looks like.

Philanthropy #Charity #Inspiration #SaudiArabia

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