Abdul Rahman bin Faisal

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal bin Turki Al Saud عبد الرحمن بن فيصل
Issue Muhammad Abdulaziz Saad Saud Abdallah Musaid Faisal Abdul-Muhsin Fahd Ahmad Saad Nuora Fifteen daughters
Noble family	House of Saud
Born	1845
Died	1928 (aged 82–83) Riyadh

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud (1845–1928)^[1] (Arabic: عبد الرحمن بن فيصل‎ / ALA-LC: ‘Abd ar Raḥman bin Fayṣal) was the last ruler of the Emirate of Nejd, Second Saudi State. He was the youngest son of Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud and the father of Ibn Saud, who founded the modern Saudi Arabia.

Royal Civil War

When Abdul Rahman's brothers — Saud and Abdullah — were struggling for power in 1865,^[2] Abdul Rahman and his brother Muhammad tended to align themselves with Saud. In 1871, after Saud had taken the capital Riyadh. Abdul Rahman was sent to Baghdad to negotiate with the Ottoman Empire for help. Unsuccessful after two years, he tried to take Al-Hasa in the east where Abdullah was now based, but without success, and eventually returned to Riyadh. After Saud's death in 1875, Abdul Rahman was recognized as successor, but within a year Riyadh was taken by Abdullah. He was forced to abdicate.

In 1887 the sons of Saud bin Faisal, who kept up desultory hostilities against their uncles, managed to capture Abdullah. The Rashidi amirs of Ha'il were able to secure Abdullah's release in exchange for Abdul-Rahman. Abdullah was taken to Ha'il and a Rashidi emir appointed to him to govern Riyadh. Abdul Rahman was able to rise in revolt in 1887 and take and defend Riyadh, but his attempts to expand control ended in disaster. When Abdul Rahman became the undisputed leader of the House of Saud in 1889, he attacked and regained Riyadh.^[2] However, the Saudi forces were defeated in the Battle of Mulayda, and Abdul Rahman and his family were forced to flee.^[2]

Later years and death

The family fled to the desert of the Rub al-Khali to the southeast among the Murra Bedouin, before finding refuge with the Al Khalifa family in Bahrain, and finally with the Al Sabah family in Kuwait.^[2] While in Kuwait, Abdul Rahman tried to make Wahabist Islam widespread and recreate the Saudi Dynasty.^[3]

After defeat at the battle of Sarif in 1900, he gave up all ambitions to recovery his patrimony.^[1] In later years, as his son built what was to become Saudi Arabia, Abdul Rahman was styled Imam and considered the spiritual leader of the country, while Abdulaziz held secular and military authority. He died in Riyadh in 1928.

References

1. H. St. John Philby (1955). Saudi Arabia. London: Ernest Benn. p. 236.  – via Questia (subscription required)
2. "Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Al Saud (1)". King Abdulaziz Information Source. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
3. Czerniawski, Maxvell (2010). "Blood in the Wells: The Troubled Past and Perilous Future of US-Saudi Relations". Eastern Michigan University. Retrieved 2 May 2012.