Abdullah bin Faisal

Abdullah bin Faisal Al Saud ( ʿAbd Allāh bin Fayṣal Āl Suʿūd; 1831 – 2 December 1889) was one of the rulers of the Emirate of Najd, also known as Second Saudi State. His reign witnessed extensive struggle among the members of the Al Saud family which led to turmoil in the region.

Early life Abdullah was born in 1831. for 26 years. He had three brothers: Saud, Mohammad and Abdul Rahman. Of them Saud and Abdul Rahman were his half-brothers. The mother of Abdullah and Mohammad was from the Al Saud. Following his return to Nejd, Faisal bin Turki managed to reestablish his rule, and during his reign there occurred a rivalry between his sons Abdullah and Saud.

The personality of Abdullah and Saud was very different in that the latter was relatively liberal, but the former was a strict religious man.

Heir apparent In June 1865 Abdullah was made heir apparent by his father, Faisal bin Turki. Abdullah was also instrumental in signing an agreement with Mohammad Al Khalifa, ruler of Bahrain, to continue his annual payments to the Emirate of Najd. Palgrave described him as a proud, cruel and fearless politician. Following his accession to the throne, Abdullah attempted to centralize the power. and the Wahhabi leaders. The same year he started the construction of Masmak Fort in Riyadh. In 1867 the Ottomans send him a certificate of governance to strengthen his position as a ruler and to support him against the competitors.

Although his succession was not problematic and his brother Saud also declared his allegiance to Abdullah, They fought in the battle of Al Mutala, and Saud was defeated and escaped to Trucial Oman. Abdullah's supporters were the tribes of Subai' and Al Suhul from the Al 'Aridh and the Qahtan of Najd during his struggle with Saud.

Therefore, Abdullah demanded the assistance of the Ottoman forces to defeat Saud and others for which he granted a fatwa from a Wahhabi scholar, Mohammad bin Ibrahim bin Ajlan, The Ottoman official who Abdullah appealed was Midhat Pasha, governor of Iraq. Abdullah's request was accepted by Midhat Pasha, announced his support to Abdullah.

In 1887 Abdullah bin Faisal was imprisoned by Mohammad bin Saud, son of Saud bin Faisal. Eventually Al Rashids forced the members of the Al Saud family to leave Riyadh when they were defeated by Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Rashid in the battle of Mulayda in 1891.

Reasons for his failure to consolidate power Years later King Abdulaziz stated three major reasons for the failure of his uncle, Abdullah bin Faisal, as follows: (1) negative propaganda of Abdullah's nephews in Al Kharj; (2) Abdullah's support for the Al ‘Ulayyan, the former rulers of Al Qassim, against the Al Muhanna, the rulers of the region and (3) the attempts of Mohammad Al Rashid to capture Najd. Another factor cited by R. Bayly Winder, an expert on the history of Arabia, is that Abdullah tended to appoint non-local administrators to the regions and to his government and made them very powerful. Abdullah also married another woman from the Rashidi dynasty: Noura, the daughter of Abdullah bin Ali Al Rashid. The marriage took place soon after the beginning of Imam Faisal's second term. His daughter, Noura bint Abdullah, married Talal bin Abdullah. Another, Sara, was one of King Abdulaziz's spouses, and they did not have any child. Following the exile of his family in 1891 the palace of Abdullah in Riyadh was used by the Al Rashid governor, Ajlan.