Historical Episodes Involving the Al-Oqilat The Al-Oqilat had many highly honorable encounters with the hero of the Arabian Peninsula, who united a land previously divided by fragmentation and conflict, where the strong oppressed the weak and people endured insecurity, fear, hunger, injustice, and other suffering. By God's grace, King Abdulaziz was enabled to unite Muslims around their faith, obeying God's commands and avoiding what He forbade. The Al-Oqilat stood beside him in many decisive battles. Among the notable deeds of Al-Oqilat men was their support for King Abdulaziz, may God have mercy on them all. When the King resolved to perform the Hajj in 1344 AH, he ordered the purchase in Buraidah of between 400 and 500 riding animals with special qualities—either strong pack camels or robust riding she-camels able to bear loads—because such a number could be found only in Buraidah. The Al-Oqilat men prepared the full number for King Abdulaziz, may God have mercy on him. The Al-Oqilat man Abdulrahman bin Ahmed Al-Rawaf (Duhaim) supported King Abdulaziz, the hero of the Arabian Peninsula, by supplying him with a number of horses during one of his campaigns in 1335 AH. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Hamoud Al-Mushaiqih likewise stood with His Majesty King Abdulaziz during the conquest of Hail. The Shammari poet Khalaf Al-Wuqait said: From Faihan she set out with the first light, / And after supper reached the deep-set dunes. / She came upon Aqeel, obedient through every passage, / Men of noble deeds and far-reaching journeys. / Their seasoned men are formidable in counsel and judgment, / And even their youth are swords poised above the head. / How many assembled troops and columns they destroyed, / Rejoicing in honor while battle raged. / On the open plain you find blood scattered crimson, / And their fallen foes lying in rows like enclosures. / Before them stood Saud, remembered for goodness, / A star through whom tribes stumbled and fell. This account was transmitted by his nephew, the distinguished poet and narrator Muhammad bin Saleh Al-Rais Al-Wuhaibi Al-Tamimi. The Al-Oqilat participated in every major event in the Arab world. More than other Najdis, they were aware of politics and economics, and through instinct and experience they understood that strength lay in unity. Supervising work on the Suez Canal The Al-Oqilat were known in Egypt's Eastern Province, where they settled and worked on excavating the Suez Canal. Supplying water to laborers in the barren desert was one of the excavation's greatest challenges. They carried water from Damietta on camelback. After a desalination plant was established in Port Said, camels transported its water to the places where laborers were assembled. Camels bore a substantial part of the burden of excavating the Suez Canal. Camels brought from the Arabian Peninsula by Al-Oqilat traders were well suited to that task. The Al-Oqilat worked alongside their Egyptian colleagues to carry out this enormous project, and some served as work supervisors. Najdis Beyond the Borders, p. 231, identifies among the Al-Oqilat who supervised excavation workers in 1280 AH Sheikh Abdulaziz Muhammad Al-Wuhaibi, who died in 1350 AH, as well as many others. The idea of cutting a canal between the Mediterranean and Red Seas dates to antiquity. History records that Egypt built the world's first artificial canal: the pharaohs excavated a waterway linking the Nile and the Red Sea, which operated during some periods and ceased during others. After the Muslim conquest of Egypt, Amr ibn Al-As restored this canal on the orders of Caliph Umar ibn Al-Khattab. In an account by Al-Maqrizi, ships were able less than a year after the conquest to travel from Fustat to Al-Qulzum (Suez), and onward to Makkah and Madinah. The well-known French philosopher and poet Voltaire praised Umar ibn Al-Khattab's contribution to navigation through his restoration of this vital canal. It continued operating for roughly 150 years until an Abbasid caliph closed it in 159 AH / 775 CE. Some sources state that Amr ibn Al-As considered joining the Mediterranean and Red Seas, but Caliph Umar prevented him from doing so. He instead restored the 150-kilometer Pharaonic canal because Umar feared that Christians might gain access to the holy lands of Makkah and Madinah. The canal project provoked a diplomatic struggle between Britain and France, pursued by London in Constantinople, capital of the Ottoman Empire, which controlled Egypt. Nevertheless, Ferdinand de Lesseps began excavating the canal on 22 Ramadan 1275 AH / 25 April 1859. It formally opened to navigation during the reign of Khedive Ismail on 12 Sha'ban 1286 AH / 17 November 1869, amid grand celebrations attended by most of Europe's kings and princes. The concession ran for 99 years from the canal's opening, after which ownership was to return to the Egyptian government. The French held most of its shares. Wars in Which They Participated 1. Their principled support for Hassan Pasha in Baghdad Chaos spread through Baghdad. Governor Abdullah Pasha was killed, and killing, theft, and looting increased. Hassan Pasha's armies stood outside Baghdad fighting on two fronts: the Persians outside the city and Salim Pasha and his supporters within it. Two Arab military units were stationed around Baghdad: the Aqeel unit of Najdis and the Al-Ubaid unit, which remained neutral and did not enter the conflict. The people of Baghdad met with the Najdi Aqeel unit and Muhammad bin Shawi, leader of Al-Ubaid, to consider what to do. They wrote to Governor Hassan Pasha in Kirkuk, asking him to come in person and find a solution. The people of Baghdad authorized the Aqeel unit to stand between the warring sides and imposed a one-month truce, giving Hassan Pasha time to arrive from Kirkuk and an imperial decree time to appoint a new governor of Baghdad. The Aqeel unit brought the situation under control and enforced the truce. The Al-Oqilat took other notable positions during the internal conflicts of 1201 AH, when the struggle among the governors intensified. They repelled attackers from Baghdad and protected the city's western side. When Hassan Pasha regained control, he thanked them and rewarded their leaders for their zeal and patriotic spirit. During that era, the city grew more prosperous and its population doubled. European travelers began visiting Baghdad and describing it as a meeting place for caravans and a major center of trade with the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, and Turkey. Officials were largely Turks and Mamluks, while merchants were Arabs. The French traveler Olivier, who visited Baghdad in 1210 AH, recorded that Ali Pasha's personal guard consisted of Al-Oqilat men. The Pasha owed his position to them: they were the armed group that remained steadfast under his banner out of adherence to Islamic law and loyalty to the Sunni community. In 1213 AH, a large expedition of imperial troops was assembled under the command of Ketkhuda Ali Bey. He was accompanied by Hamoud bin Thamir with Al-Muntafiq and the Bedouin of Iraq, and by Nasser bin Muhammad Al-Shibl of Buraidah in Al-Qassim, leader of Aqeel, together with his men. Cited from Al-Khabar wal-Ayan fi Tarikh Najd, p. 207. 2. Their support for the Arab Revolt in Syria Sheikh Nasser bin Ali Al-Dughaythir was a guest of Al-Jazirah newspaper in issue 4950, dated 9 Sha'ban 1406 AH. Speaking about historical events, he said: ‘I was at the head of a camel-corps force when I met Lawrence in 1334 AH, at the beginning of the Arab Revolt. Sharif Faisal had ordered him to recruit five hundred Al-Oqilat soldiers from Najd. I commanded them, and they served as a fighting force against the Turkish and German armies.’ He then described their role in the famous Battle of Maysalun: they fought, and thirteen of them were martyred in the battle. Among the names he gave were Fahd bin Sharikh, Saad Al-Sukaiti, Abdullah Al-Mukairish, Fahd Al-Abdullah Al-Wuhaibi, Abdullah Al-Sulaiman bin Isa, and others. A number of Al-Oqilat men joined the army under Ahmed Urabi in 1881 CE / 1297 AH, which fought the ruling authorities and British intervention. Muhammad Al-Badi, Fahd Al-Wuhaibi, Ibrahim bin Ammar Al-Rumaih, and Sulaiman Al-Rakaf are said to have participated in the revolt. They were with a group commanded by Muhammad Fahmi, and some witnessed the famous Battle of Kassassin under the command of Ali Fahmi. Al-Oqilat merchants such as the Al-Rumaih, Al-Hujailan, and Al-Tamimi families also supplied camels to transport arms and ammunition. Sheikh Fawzan Al-Sabiq, the minister plenipotentiary, confirmed these roles from what he had heard from the earliest Al-Oqilat men. See Ibrahim Al-Musallam, Al-Oqilat, 3rd ed., pp. 14 and 63. Among the Al-Oqilat's military leaders was Fahd bin Abdullah Al-Wuhaibi, one of the officers who took part in the Battle of Maysalun against the French near Damascus in 1339 AH. See Aqeel's Hero of the Battle of Maysalun, p. 38. A large group estimated at about eight hundred men from Najd participated in the famous Battle of Maysalun against the French army, and some fell as martyrs. Around 1380 AH, Yasin Ibrahim Al-Rawaf wrote an article in the Syrian newspaper Al-Nasr in Damascus stating that Arab brothers in Syria remembered the forgotten heroism of the Najdis at Maysalun. There is no doubt that the Najdis of the Al-Oqilat, led by Ibn Dughaythir, fought well at Maysalun and displayed courage witnessed by the Syrians around them. Some Syrians preserved their deeds and recounted them in their gatherings at the time. One wishes they had written these accounts down then and protected them from distortion, so they would remain documents through which present generations could learn of their ancestors' courage and valor. Dr. Al-Rawaf added that he met the courageous Ibn Dughaythir when the latter was more than ninety-seven years old. Ibn Dughaythir told him that he had fought in the army of Sharif Faisal bin Al-Hussein, accompanied Commander Lawrence in fighting the Turkish army during the First World War, and was mentioned by Lawrence in several places in his celebrated book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. He also said that Yaqoub Al-Rashid told him the Battle of Maysalun was not the only time Najdis fought in decisive Arab battles. He knew with certainty that a group of Al-Oqilat sons took part in the Palestine War with the Arab Liberation Army under Commander Fawzi Al-Qawuqji. They trained in the Al-Mazzah district of Syria and fought in Safed and northern Palestine. A platoon of Saudi volunteers commanded by the late Fahd Al-Haris was stationed in another area of Palestine. A regular Saudi army force under Major General Saeed bin Abdullah Kurdi also fought alongside the Egyptian army in southern Palestine. Nor should we forget that Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula fought beside the Egyptians against Napoleon's campaign. Yusuf bin Hussein Damnahouri wrote an article in Al-Nadwah newspaper clarifying Yaqoub Al-Rashid's account. The group of eight hundred consisted of volunteers from Najd, not members of the regular army commanded by Yusuf Al-Azma. This Najdi force was led by Nasser bin Dughaythir and Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Essa. Ibn Dughaythir, then ninety-seven, had made the city of Al-Rass his home. The regular army, the article said, did not actually participate in this battle. The speaker's purpose was to make clear the heroism of the Najdi Al-Oqilat under Commanders Nasser Al-Dughaythir and Abdullah Sulaiman Al-Essa, so readers would not mistakenly suppose they were under Yusuf Al-Azma's command. This demonstrates the valor of Ibn Dughaythir and the Al-Oqilat with him. It also indicates that they fought the French on their own. As noted earlier, victory favored them until the French, seeing their army defeated, called in aircraft to bomb the Najdi soldiers. The hero Ibn Dughaythir then acted to preserve his men's lives. Further evidence of Ibn Dughaythir's courage and that of the Najdis with him is a photograph taken of the commander astride his horse, raising his sword in his right hand. Syrians admired it so greatly that they displayed the image in Al-Marjah Square in Damascus with the caption ‘Hero of Maysalun.’ It remained there for a long time before being removed. The Jordanian writer Sulaiman Musa responded to earlier writing about the Al-Oqilat's contribution to the Battle of Maysalun, which he dated to July 1920. He noted that Lawrence praised Ibn Dughaythir, Ibn Dakhil, and Saad Al-Sukaini in his book. Musa also cited Ahmed Qadri's Memoirs of the Arab Revolt, p. 274, which said of the organized Aqeel volunteers: ‘They fought admirably in resisting the French army and prevented it from entering the Barada Valley to join the French forces that had taken the main road. They sacrificed many lives as martyrs, seeking God's reward, until they were compelled to withdraw…’ ‘…until they were compelled to withdraw. King Faisal honored them by distributing among them everything that remained in his possession—nearly seven thousand pounds—after which he owned almost nothing worth mentioning.’ What the historian Dr. Ahmed Qadri wrote about the Al-Oqilat, their valor, and the courage they displayed in that war testifies to the importance of their role in those conflicts. I am certain that if other Arab forces had played so prominent a part in those battles, they would have received more acclaim than the Al-Oqilat men did—especially since those other forces would have been defending their own territory, whereas the Al-Oqilat men joined in defending Arab lands beyond their homeland. I wish the writer had discussed Commander Ibn Dughaythir's role, for he must surely have heard people repeating the commander's name at the time and speaking about his heroism and leadership. As for the account that they were compelled to withdraw after sacrificing many men as martyrs, the hero Ibn Dughaythir explained that he saw French soldiers falling in battle at the hands of Al-Oqilat fighters. When French aircraft entered the battle to support their troops, however, his wisdom and sound judgment led him to leave the Maysalun Valley in order to preserve his soldiers' lives. King Faisal, recognizing their valor and courage in the battle, honored them above all others by distributing every pound he possessed among them. Had he given any of it to anyone else, the writer would have mentioned it. Sulaiman Musa stated that several men of the Sharifian families joined the Al-Oqilat at Maysalun, naming Muhammad Ali Al-Bedaiwi and Sharif Ali bin Arabid. The Sharif's decision to entrust Ibn Dughaythir with command of the army demonstrates Ibn Dughaythir's courage, skill, sound judgment, and keen understanding of warfare. These qualities led the Sharif to select him from among the men around him. Had one of those Sharifian men been more capable of commanding the battle, the Sharif would have appointed him instead. The Al-Oqilat also aided the Syrian Revolution by transporting weapons from Iraq, Egypt, and elsewhere. Among those who helped was the Al-Oqilat man Barak Al-Dubaykhi. Informers reported him, and he was detained in a Syrian prison; the Al-Oqilat later secured his release. Sheikh Fawzan Al-Sabiq Gives the Horse Mihalhal to the American Charles Crane The American was astonished by the horse. Muhammad Al-Fawzan, son of Sheikh Fawzan, related: ‘The story took place in 1927. Mr. Crane came to visit my father on the recommendation of the American Legation in Cairo and asked to see the Arabian horses he owned. The horses in the stable were shown to him. When he stopped before one of them, he cried at the top of his voice: “My God, what magnificence!” The horse was named Mihalhal. Pure white, he was a marvel of beauty and strength and had won every race he entered. Crane could not contain himself: he took his checkbook from his pocket and signed a blank check, leaving Sheikh Fawzan to set the price. ‘Sheikh Fawzan told the interpreter: “Tell Mr. Crane he is yours, and that he should put his checkbook back in his pocket. The horse is my gift to him.” Mr. Crane was astonished by Sheikh Fawzan's gesture. Within days, Mihalhal was aboard a ship bound for the United States from Alexandria. On 10 July 1928, Sheikh Fawzan received a letter from Mr. Charles Crane and a photograph of the horse. The translated letter read: ‘“Dear Sheikh Fawzan, I have sent you a photograph of your beautiful horse. Although Virginia is renowned for excellent horses, equestrians who have heard about yours travel great distances simply to see him, and then express their admiration. With this letter I send my greetings to your great leader, Abdulaziz Al Saud, and to you, together with my wishes for prosperity for you and your country. Yours sincerely, Charles R. Crane.”’ Robert Lacey wrote: ‘Crane stood speechless. It seemed he had never before encountered the generosity for which Arabs are renowned. The Egyptians present found it difficult to convince him that this was the Arab way of repaying kindness and that refusing the gift would be an insult. Yet this did not discourage Crane, who said: “Your country is poor, but it must contain mineral wealth beneath its surface—and, at the very least, water. Please allow me to offer you the services of an engineer to conduct surveys in the Arabian Peninsula and discover what lies there.”’ King Abdulaziz thus approved Charles Crane's visit. Abdulaziz had heard of Crane and expressed the hope that he would reach Jeddah between Ramadan and Dhu Al-Hijjah. This began a process that, within a few years, led the Kingdom to enjoy the fruits of its remarkable mineral wealth. Leslie McLoughlin confirms this in Ibn Saud: Founder of a Kingdom: ‘Crane nevertheless continued his humanitarian journeys. In 1931 he visited the majlis of Fawzan Al-Sabiq, King Abdulaziz Al Saud's representative in Cairo, and requested permission to visit the country to survey its mineral resources. King Abdulaziz replied to his representative's telegram with immediate approval, and the King personally received Crane in Jeddah on 25 February 1931.’ The Najdi lawyer Muhammad Rifaat wrote in his book The Lion of the Peninsula Told Me: ‘Sheikh Fawzan Al-Sabiq was his country's first minister plenipotentiary in Egypt. He loved Egypt, and Egypt and its people loved him. When age prevented him from continuing to bear the duties of office, he chose to remain in Egypt and expressed this wish to His Majesty King Abdulaziz. His Majesty approved it and graciously granted Sheikh Al-Fawzan the legation's house on Muhammad Saeed Street in Al-Insha to be his home.’ May God have mercy on Sheikh Fawzan Al-Sabiq and reward him well for his good deeds. Resolving Disputes and Building Mosques Sheikh Ahmed Al-Rawaf and his father, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Rawaf, deserve mention. In 1275 AH, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Rawaf helped resolve the disagreement between Ibn Muhanna and Ibn Rashid over command of the Hajj caravan coming from Baghdad. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Rawaf supplied the Ottoman state with camels during its military campaigns against the Safavid state. Sheikh Muhammad Al-Rawaf also played an effective role in Al-Oqilat caravans. He lived for a short time in Al-Zubair, where in 1145 AH he built a mosque known as Al-Rawaf Mosque; it still stands today. The Al-Oqilat also defended their homeland in the Battle of Al-Bukayriyah. Ottoman forces were defeated there; many of Ibn Rashid's soldiers fled, others wandered through the wilderness, and some surrendered to King Abdulaziz, may God have mercy on him. The well-known Al-Qassim poet Muhammad Al-Sughayyir, who witnessed the Battle of Al-Bukayriyah, said: The army came, its columns pressing forward, / Its cannon bringing every instrument of war. / Then the men of Aqeel arrived and shattered its strongholds; / Rifle fire struck the crowns of their heads. / When my people charged, the foe's plans were lost; / The men of Al-Qassim drew blades none could withstand. / At the command of a sheikh whose resolve was fulfilled, / He never entered battle only to turn away. The people of Al-Qassim generally, and the Al-Oqilat in particular, continued fighting in King Abdulaziz's ranks. They stood in the vanguard of the army that fought Al Rashid at Al-Bukayriyah and Al-Shinanah. Another notable episode involving Al-Oqilat men began with these verses: Sons of Ali, today is your time to be of use; / A man gains from it nothing but lasting praise. / Sons of Ali, today—not tomorrow— / Rise with the lion's resolve and proven deeds. / Do not follow weakness, helplessness, or hesitation, / Nor ‘perhaps,’ ‘if only,’ and their weary questions. / Rise with trust in God and discharge what you owe; / You are men for great occasions, never base. / This call can be met only by one exceptional man— / Sons of Ali, which among you says, ‘I shall meet it’? When the poet reached the final couplet—‘This call can be met only by one exceptional man; Sons of Ali, which among you says, “I shall meet it”?’—those present cried: ‘We shall meet it!’ Abdulkarim Al-Jasser wrote: ‘Those present repeated the rallying cry of the Sons of Ali. The Al-Oqilat gathered in something resembling a demonstration, carrying flags and marching through the streets of Damascus. Twelve hundred Al-Oqilat fighters assembled, organized their forces, purchased weapons and ammunition, and departed for Kuwait through Iraq. They sent messengers carrying the poem to Al-Oqilat men in Baghdad, Palestine, and Egypt. By the time they reached Kuwait, the fighting force exceeded three thousand men. They sent envoys to Abdulaziz bin Saud to inform him of their departure from Kuwait and agreed to meet him in Al-Washm.’ Muhammad Al-Abdulrahman Al-Shuraidah took a historic stand in his homeland of Buraidah in Al-Qassim, spending his wealth to save its citizens during the famine of 1327 AH. Sulaiman Al-Dakhil was the first Najdi journalist. In Baghdad in 1328 AH, he founded Al-Riyadh, an Arabic-language literary newspaper concerned with news of Najd, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Arabian Gulf. He was from Buraidah in Al-Qassim. Sheikh Isa Al-Rumaih Whenever the blessed month of Ramadan arrived, Isa Al-Rumaih established a diwaniyah and a large house in Jerusalem where he held feasts for the poor and needy. His reputation reached the British military governor of Jerusalem, who summoned him to his office. Isa did not go; he sent the messenger back with the words: ‘If he wishes to see me, let him come to my open house. This is my invitation to the governor to visit our camp in the Jordan Valley.’ A great celebration was held to which the governor and senior officials were invited. Thereafter, the governor regularly visited Isa at his house in Jerusalem and at the camp, where feasts open to everyone were held. Dr. Nawaf Al-Saleh Al-Hulaisi wrote about his father, the renowned and generous Al-Oqilat emir Sheikh Saleh Al-Hulaisi, and about his honorable elder brothers. Sheikh Saleh experienced a financial crisis while in Egypt. When the Al-Oqilat learned of it, they gathered with Sheikh Fawzan Al-Sabiq, along with men of the Al-Hujailan, Abu Butain, Al-Jalajil, Al-Wuhaibi, Al-Barrak, and other families. They spoke with Sheikh Saleh Al-Hulaisi, reminding him of his chivalry, his regard for the Al-Oqilat, and the help and support he had given them. They provided him with a loan. By God's grace and favor, his trade earned several times its value, and he repaid the amount after only about three months. This account appears in Dr. Nawaf Al-Hulaisi's The Era of the Al-Oqilat. ‘Bring near every eager mount; with them we shall cross / The surging bank of the Euphrates. / Twelve will fire when the target comes in sight, / Whether at the water crossings or the towering dam.’ A sheikh imprisoned by the Turks in Hama hopes to be freed by the ‘Sons of Ali’—Aqeel The Pasha of the Levant arrested the poet Farhoud, one of the sheikhs of Al-Amarat, in the Aleppo market and threw him into prison. His Aqeel companions, who at that time led caravans from across the Arabian Peninsula to Kuwait, Iraq, the Levant, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, and Egypt, sent him a message saying that on a specified day they would take him out of prison and return with him to Baghdad. Farhoud said: Here I am in prison, bound in chains— / Alas for the wrong and hardship that befell me. / O rider, the camels will surely carry us at speed, / Seeking Hit before ten nights have passed. / How sweet their evening halt when they gather, / At the house of the renowned sheikh and lofty-built Zubaidah. / Go to the men of Al-Qassim, a company of distinction, / The Sons of Ali, who count every precious thing a small price. / Their paired weapons rest upon strong hips, / European guns that strike like falling stars. / Their clothing is not bought for working wool; / Their men stand clearly out, tall as camels. / They shelter the stranger when he calls on them in need; / The army stands ready and will truly care for me. / I say this only because I am bound in distress; / My sons come to us at the time of asking. / What they can do, they do without regret; / Nothing will answer today's need but their presence before me. Source: The Ethics and Customs of Al-Ruwalah. The Al-Oqilat man Yahya bin Abdulrahman Al-Shuraidah established a sanatorium in Baghdad. Compiled and prepared by Mr. Abdul Latif bin Saleh Al-Wuhaibi.
