What might have been an acrimonious and unconstructive meeting proved short and positive. The religious authorities in Makkah had felt no great affection for the Shareef of Makkah and, when they realized that Ibn Saud was not the ruthless fanatic they had feared and that he could offer them the status and respect in the Hijaz which the Nejdi Ulema enjoyed in Riyadh, they concluded that Ibn Saud's arrival was more of a blessing than a curse.
