Rahmah al-Jalahimah

Name His name, Rahmah ibn Jabir ibn Adhbi Al Jalhami, means Rahmah son of Jabir son of Adhbi of the Jalahimah. His name should be written "Al Jalhami" if transliterated from Arabic, as "Al Jalahimah" is the plural name for his tribe.

Description Rahmah was described by James Silk Buckingham:

Biography

Early life Rahmah ibn Jabir ibn Adhbi al-Jalhami was born in Grane (present-day Kuwait) around 1760. Rahmah's father, Jabir bin Adhbi, led their tribe from Kuwait to Zubarah in Qatar around 1766. After his tribe migrated alongside the Al Khalifa, the two had a falling out after the Al Khalifa refused to share the economic gain made from trade ventures. Rahmah's tribe nonetheless agreed to fight alongside the Al Khalifa in their battle against the Persians in Bahrain in 1783. After Bahrain was annexed by the Al Khalifa, Rahmah's tribe, feeling dissatisfied with their share of the rewards, moved first to Bushehr and eventually to Khor Hassan in northwest Qatar. After a short time, Rahmah overtook his eldest brother Abdullah in a struggle for leadership of the tribe; consequently, the tribe adopted piracy as a livelihood.

His base in Khor Hassan, which would serve as his base of operation against the Al Khalifa, was surrounded by a protected bay which contributed to the area's defensive capabilities. He resided in a fort with mud walls with only a few huts in the vicinity. As a result of no centralized authority existing in Qatar from the 18th to 19th centuries, Rahmah was able to establish dominion over much of the peninsula for a period after the Al Khalifa relocated to Bahrain.

Alliance with the Saudis Rahmah's alliances with regional powers tended to be on the basis of shared opposition to the Al Khalifa: he formed an alliance with the first Saudi dynasty when it conquered Bahrain, and he founded and relocated to the fort of Dammam in 1809. Though some of his exploits were deemed piratical by the British, J. G. Lorimer, a British historian, remarks on Rahmah's scrupulously correct conduct and his compliance with the laws of warfare. He generally avoided encounters with British cruisers so that he would not incur their anger. In 1809, after the British expedition of the Pirate Coast, many Qasimi refugees fled to Khor Hassan. Rahmah, the leader of Khor Hassan, reached a compromise with the British in which he agreed not to harbour any fugitivites in return for sparing the town.

Alliance with the Omanis In 1816, he allied himself with the rulers of Muscat in their failed invasion of Bahrain, and broke his alliance with the Saudis. The Saudis then destroyed the fort of Dammam in July 1816, and he took refuge in Bushehr, bringing around 500 families with him. Said bin Sultan proposed that he become a subject of Muscat and settle in Oman, but Rahmah refused. He moved back to Dammam in 1818.

Subsequent campaigns He assisted the British forces in the Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 against the Al Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah. The operation was carried out after repeated incidents of piracy against British-flagged vessels by the Al Qasimi. He settled in Bushehr from November 1822 until February 1824, whereupon he returned to his residence in Dammam. He went to Muscat at the beginning of 1825 and assisted Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Shakhbout in his expedition against the Qasimi tribe of Ras Al Khaimah. Near the end of that year, he commenced a series of predatory attacks on Qatif as punishment for the non-payment of the protection tax owed to him. The British chose not to intervene in his actions provided his attacks were limited to the inhabitants of Qatif.

He soon reshifted his focus to the Al Khalifa and went to war with them at the beginning of 1826. After a great number of casualties on his side, he fled to Bushehr where he sought material and military assistance from the British political resident.

Death In October 1826, Rahmah launched a raid on a vessel owned by the Al Khalifa rulers of Bahrain. Upon discovering the stolen goods, his nephew, Sheikh Ahmed bin Salman Al Khalifa, decided to recover the items and intercept Rahmah at sea. To ensure he could reach his uncle swiftly, Sheikh Ahmed augmented his boat's speed by borrowing the oars from the vessel of Isa bin Tarif, the chief of the Al Binali tribe.

As the confrontation neared, Rahmah, who was nearly blind due to cataracts, noticed an approaching boat and inquired about its captain. When informed it was his nephew, Sheikh Ahmed, he ridiculed him, remarking, "The son of Maryoom sails?"—a reference to Ahmed's mother, Maryam, who was Rahmah's sister. His astonishment stemmed from maritime tradition, where young men typically only commanded ships after marriage, as this signified their readiness for responsibility. Rahmah retorted, "How can he set sail if he has not approached fair maidens?"

Sheikh Ahmed and his crew boarded Rahmah's ship, leading to a fierce sword fight. Realizing his death was imminent and learning that his loyal slave, Tarar, had been killed, Rahmah retreated to the inner galley of his ship with his eight-year-old son, Shaheen. There, he lit the gunpowder kegs with charcoal from his hookah causing the ship to explode, killing all of his men and the Al Khalifa men that were raiding his ship.

Legacy Rahmah's legacy lasted long after his death. In the 1960s, Charles Belgrave wrote of how old men in the coffee shops throughout the region would still talk of his exploits.