Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin ( ''Muḥammad bin Suʿūd Āl Muqrin''; 1687–1765), also known as Ibn Saud, was the emir of
Diriyah
Diriyah ( ar, الدِرْعِيّة), formerly romanized as Dereyeh and Dariyya), is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the north-western outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, and served ...
and is considered the founder of the
First Saudi State
The Emirate of Diriyah (), also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727 (1139 AH). In 1744, the emir of Najdi town called Diriyah Muhammad bin Saud and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance ...
and the
Saud dynasty, which are named for his father,
Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin
Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin ( ar, سعود بن محمد آل مقرن ''Suʿūd ibn Muḥammad Āl Muqrin''; 1640–1726) was the eponymous ancestor of the House of Saud, otherwise known as the Al Saud.
Biography
Saud was from the family of Al ...
. His reign lasted between 1727 and 1765.
Origins
Ibn Saud's family (then known as the Al Muqrin) traced its descent to the Banu Audi and Hanifa tribes but, despite popular misconceptions, Muhammad bin Saud was neither a
nomadic
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
nor a tribal leader. Rather, he was the chief (''emir'') of an agricultural settlement near modern-day
Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
, called Diriyah.
He had lands there and was involved in financing the commercial journeys of merchants. Furthermore, he was a competent and ambitious desert warrior.
[
]
Early life
Muhammad bin Saud was born in Diriyah in 1687. Among his siblings were Mishari, Thunayan and Farhan.[ The family resided in the citadel of Turaif in Diriyah.] He defeated all of his siblings to establish his rule in Diriyah.
Reign
Muhammad bin Saud became local emir of Diriyah in 1727. The initial power base was the town of Diriyah where he met Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab
; "The Book of Monotheism")
, influences =
, influenced =
, children =
, module =
, title = Imam, Shaykh
, movement = Muwahhidun (Wahhabi)
, native_name = محمد بن ...
, who asked for protection.[ They formed an alliance in 1744 or 1745.][ Muhammad bin Saud asked Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab to accept the two conditions: (1) Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab should settle and stay in Diriyah and (2) he would not oppose the collection of tax by the ruler, Muhammad bin Saud.] Although he accepted the first condition, he did not accept the second one arguing that he would acquire more through the battles and persuaded him not to collect tax.[ Muhammad bin Saud endorsed his proposal and declared their alliance.][ Their cooperation was further formalized by the wedding of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab's daughter to ]Abdulaziz bin Muhammad
Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن محمد آل سعود ''ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin Muḥammad Āl Suʿūd''; 1720–1803), also known as ''Abdulaziz I'', was the second ruler of the Emirate of Diriyah. He was the eldest ...
, son and successor of Muhammad bin Saud. Thereafter, the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud and the descendants of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, the Al ash-Sheikh
The Al ash-Sheikh ( ar, آل الشيخ, '),Using the term ''the Al ash-Sheikh family'' is a pleonasm as the word ''Al'' already means ''family''. See Etymology. It would, in theory, be correct to use the term ''Family of the Sheikh'', but, unlik ...
, have remained closely linked. However, the alliance was not totally supported by his family, and one of his brothers, Thunayyan bin Saud, objected to such a cooperation.
Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab provided Muhammad bin Saud with the military backing for the House of Saud and helped establish the dynasty among other forces in the Arabian peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...
. In addition, following their alliance Muhammad bin Saud began to collect taxes from his subjects, and the first members of the Najdi-Wahhabi elites emerged. Therefore, the significant elements of the Saudi rule which have existed until now in Saudi Arabia were shaped: the royal family, Wahhabi clerics and tribal subjects.[ Following their cooperation, the emirs of Diriyah began to be called Imam.][ Abdul Wahhab remained as an adviser to Muhammad bin Saud until the end of the latter's reign.
Muhammad bin Saud initiated attacks against the ruler of Riyadh, Dahham bin Dawwas, in 1747.][ However, these attacks would last for 28 years, and not Muhammad but his son and successor Abdulaziz would manage to seize Riyadh in 1773.] Muhammad sent one of his slaves, Salim bin Belal Al Harik, to Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
, who was accompanied with an armed group of seventy men, to make the tribes loyal to the Saudis. The tribes, namely Bani Yas
Bani Yas ( ar, بَنُو ياس) is a tribal confederation of Najdi origin in the United Arab Emirates. The tribal coalition which consists of tribes from Dubai to Khawr al Udayd southeast of Qatar, was called the Bani Yas Coalition. The tribe has ...
, al Shamis and al Nuaimi
The Al Nuaimi ( ar, النعيمي) family is the ruling royal family of Ajman, one of the seven emirates that together comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The family name is derived from the singular of 'Na'im': the Na'im is a major tribal ...
, initially resisted, but then, obeyed the demand and became followers of Wahhabism together with the Qawasameh tribe
Qawasameh tribe ( ar, القواسمة, also spelled: Qawasmeh or Kawasmeh in English), is a major clan primarily based in Hebron, with roughly 10,000 members. Although many of the Qawasmeh were originally pro-peace moderates and supporters of a tw ...
of Sharjah
Sharjah (; ar, ٱلشَّارقَة ', Gulf Arabic: ''aš-Šārja'') is the third-most populous city in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai and Abu Dhabi, forming part of the Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman metropolitan area.
Sharjah is the capital o ...
and Ras Al Khaimah
Ras Al Khaimah (RAK) ( ar, رَأْس ٱلْخَيْمَة, historically Julfar) is the largest city and capital of the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates. It is the sixth-largest city in UAE after Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain ...
.[ When Muhammad bin Saud himself would attack anywhere, he invited the people three times to adopt his religion, Wahhabism.] If his invitation was not accepted, his forces initiated the attack and killed them.[
The way he set up his government has served as the model for rulers of the House of Saud to the present day. The government was based on Islamic principles and made use of ]shura
Shura ( ar, شُورَىٰ, translit=shūrā, lit=consultation) can for example take the form of a council or a referendum. The Quran encourages Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with each other.
Shura is mentioned as a praisewort ...
. He ruled the emirate until his death in 1765. By the time of his death the majority of the Najdi people and all of those living in the southern Najd were Wahhabi adherents.
Personal life and death
Ibn Saud's wife was Moudi bint Abi Wahtan Al Kathir who was instrumental in his meeting with Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. He had five sons: Saud, Faisal, Abdulaziz, Abdullah and Ali.[ Of them, both Saud and Faisal died in his lifetime in a battle in 1747.]
Muhammad bin Saud dressed in a plain way and, unlike those of the Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
and Ottoman rulers, his armaments were not decorated. He died in Diriyah in 1765 and was succeeded by his eldest son Abdulaziz.
Legacy
As the head of a forerunner of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University
Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU) (), commonly known as Al-Imam University, is a public university in Baladiyah al-Shemal in northern Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was founded in 1953. represented by the College of Sharia Sciences (n ...
is named after him.
References
Further reading
S. R. Valentine. (2015). ''Force & Fanaticism: Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia and Beyond'', Hurst & Co, London/New York.
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muqrin, Muhammad Saud
17th-century monarchs in the Middle East
18th-century monarchs in the Middle East
1687 births
1765 deaths
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...