Article 2 of the Saudi Law of Sharia Procedure

المادة 2 من نظام المرافعات الشرعية · الباب الأول: أحكام عامة

Article 2 provides that every procedural step validly completed under a law in force remains valid, unless the Law of Sharia Procedure provides otherwise.

Official text (Arabic)

This article has not been amended since the law was issued.

كل إجراء من إجراءات المرافعات تم صحيحًا في ظل نظام معمول به يبقى صحيحًا، ما لم ينص على غير ذلك في هذا النظام.

This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers

Article 2 explained in plain English

This article addresses an important question that arises when a new law is issued or an existing law is amended while cases are in progress: what happens to the procedures taken before the change?

The rule the article establishes is that every procedural step that was validly completed under a law in force remains valid. A sound procedure need not be repeated merely because the rules changed after it.

This rule has two conditions that must be noted:

The procedure must have been validly completed under the law in force when it was taken; a procedure that was defective from the start is not protected by this article.
There must be no provision in this Law that provides otherwise; if the Law provides a different rule for a particular procedure, that provision is applied.

This article is connected to Article 1, which binds the courts, in the procedures for hearing cases, to what is stated in this Law, so Article 2 protects earlier valid procedures from being cancelled because of the change. This gives stability to litigants, as steps they completed in a lawful manner are not lost to them.

If you have a case that began before an amendment of the Law and you are unsure of the amendment's effect on it, it is advisable to consult a lawyer specializing in procedure and litigation.

Practical example

A company in Jeddah files a case, and the defendant is notified in a valid manner under the law in force at the time. An amendment is then issued that changes some of the rules of notification. That notification remains valid and need not be repeated, unless the Law contains a provision providing otherwise.

Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.

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