Al-Oqilat Culture. The poet Ibrahim Al-Lahim said: ‘In the days of Al-Oqilat, when the world was harsh and the wilderness belonged to ravening beasts, they set out upon their heavily laden mounts, driving them back toward Al-Qassim with full loads. They followed their emir, himself a guide, like lions unafraid of calamity. They earned through trade and additional gain, known for their fine marks and qualities. Call out “Al-Oqilat” in Jerusalem or Hebron, on the banks of the Nile or Euphrates, and every alert listener who hears you will answer: “Welcome, men who achieve great deeds.” Wearing their agals and flowing headcloths, generous to guests and a terror to enemies, they turned toward Buraidah, longing ever stronger, raising their voices toward it in camel chants. Their Eid came when they made their camels kneel within Musailah, and its Eid came when they returned around Al-Watat.’
Al-Oqilat were among the Najdis most receptive to modernization. They mixed with people arriving from East and West and dealt with people of every background. They learned much about the world and its inventions, acquired knowledge, and kept pace with urban life and civilization. This never distracted them from remembering God; rather, it deepened their adherence to their true faith. Everyone who accompanied Al-Oqilat—from Arab and non-Arab lands, Muslims, Christians, and Jews, whether travelers or merchants—testified to their good character, sound judgment, prudent management, courage, honesty, forbearance, cooperation, selflessness, authentic Arab virtues, and other qualities of the true Muslim.
Moresi wrote that he compensated for his limited Arabic by using Turkish, which many Al-Oqilat knew as well as their own language. The evidence firmly shows that Al-Oqilat were among Najd's most cultured men and the most determined in seeking knowledge. One traveler who developed close ties with them related that they used dictionaries and read the Mu'allaqat of pre-Islamic poetry. Some of them also spoke English.
The Values of Al-Oqilat
1 – Love of country and courage. 2 – Generosity. 3 – Trustworthiness. 4 – Truthfulness. 5 – Chivalry. 6 – Selflessness. 7 – Good intentions. 8 – Self-confidence. 9 – Caution. 10 – Good conduct in dealing with others. 11 – Loyalty. 12 – Standing beside their brothers in times of hardship. 13 – Thought and knowledge among Al-Oqilat.
Love of Country:
‘What a long, cold season, Al-Turaif, we have reached. Where is the firewood with which to cook our supper? We have reached the land of bugs and fleas—a country whose air will never be the air we love.’
Were it not for high prices and debt, we would not have come ***** But costly expenses pursue us
Such was the yearning of Al-Oqilat men for their homes and their longing to touch the sand dunes upon whose heights they had written stories of struggle and patience: how to stand firm against hardship and insist upon survival despite constant travel and exile.
The people of Al-Qassim gathered to consider the matter. The poet Mohammed Al-Ouni was then in Kuwait, where he attended the emirs' council. One evening he arrived unusually late. When he attended the following night, they asked why. He answered: ‘I was on my way to you when I heard a she-camel in the enclosure of a certain man’—whom he named—‘moaning with a grief that could break the heart. I stopped to listen as she paced and wheeled around the enclosure, and she inspired a poem in me.’ He began reciting it. When he finished, he asked who would undertake to deliver the poem to Al-Oqilat in Syria. They volunteered, and the poet Ali Al-Humaidah was entrusted with the task.
One contemporary, quoted by Abdulkarim Al-Jasser, who was with Al-Oqilat in Syria, related: ‘Ali Al-Humaidah reached us while Al-Oqilat were gathered, as usual, in the evening at Suq Al-Hamidiyah—the place called the “afternoon market” in the poem. Those present included Abdulkarim Al-Jasser, Ali Al-Jasser, Hamoud Al-Barrak, Mohammed Al-Shuwaihi, Mansour Al-Jarbou, Mohammed Al-Rashid, Yahya Al-Shuraidah, Ibrahim Al-Shuraidah, and other Al-Oqilat men. The poem was recited to them. Al-Ouni had named it Al-Khalouj, after the she-camel that had lost her calf:’
The Poem of “Al-Khalouj”
By the poet Mohammed Al-Ouni
A bereaved she-camel whose final cry rends the heart, breaking into tears that shatter the bonds of her endurance.
Her hoarse call awakens grief in every stricken soul; whenever she casts forth her voice, her anguish rises.
I said to her, ‘She-camel, enough of weeping. Do not stir the soul anew over all that has befallen it.’
You weep at separation, as befits a camel when the Arabs break camp; the herd has been gone two days, perhaps heading north.
But as for me, she-camel, my misfortunes are beyond counting; my affliction finds no cure and no complaint can answer it.
If weeping could resolve it for me, she-camel, I would weep through all the bright days and their nights.
If weeping could return the absent to me, I would weep until my very soul departed.
I weep for the homeland on whose edge we were raised; Khashm Al-Ran is its known landmark to the north.
To its east, two dunes and Al-Rakhim mark its boundary; between Al-Liwa and Al-Sirr, how pleasant are its plains.
A home in Najd that once was paradise, before the changing nights struck it with all they brought.
It is like a sheltered maiden, fair and chaste, whose radiant beauty surpasses every other beauty.
Even one who envies it is wary of passing around it, for fear of the sons raised upon its soil.
It is our mother, and the milk she gave was sweet; she nourished and raised us, and we are her children.
She treated us with a kindness no mother exceeds toward her young, remaining connected to us even when we forgot our bond with her.
She placed broadcloth upon us and shawls over our shoulders, while she herself stood bare, weeping, with no one to weep for her.
No one was alarmed by her cry on the day she was robbed, and no one after our departure asked what had befallen her.
I cried, ‘Ah, grief and shattered hope! How can our mother be wronged while we stand before her?’
O rider crossing the low pass … press onward when even its shadows take fright.
For eight years she never once felt a hand upon her flank, nor knelt for labor while another camel stood beside her.
When a necessary journey called, I said, ‘Saddle her,’ and take firm hold of her ropes against each sudden start.
Do not concern yourself with the saddlebags when the hour comes; take your waterskin and balance your provisions beside it.
Messenger, I charge you to travel by day and night; beware of sleep in the darkness overtaking your eyes.
Ride her for fifteen sunsets, and Al-Midan will be the destination where your journey ends.
When you reach the afternoon market, young men will meet you, stepping proudly in their fine silk-trimmed sandals.
They will say, ‘Friend, bring us your news. What has happened in the towns of Najd since we departed?’
Say: ‘Every town in Al-Qassim and the country around it stands secure, its men guarding the borders of their home.’
Except your mother, who after you left laments over the earth, weeping for those who have gone—how grievous her loss.
Strangers have played havoc there—may none who showed you cruelty be spared—and the noble women have been scattered alone through the towns.
Your elders are struck without cause; after the greatness of their former standing, even their dignity is assailed.
Sons of Ali, today is the hour when your help is needed; a noble man gains no gift more lasting than praise.
Sons of Ali, today—not tomorrow—rise with the resolve of a lion whose deeds have long been proven.
Do not follow humiliation, helplessness, and delay, forever saying ‘perhaps’ or ‘if only’ until the plea itself grows weary.
Rise under God's guidance and fulfill your duty; you are men of celebrated deeds, with no base man among you.
One said, ‘Only a rare man of courage can confront this. Sons of Ali—which one of you will say, “I shall undertake it”?’
Until he reached the line that says:
One said, ‘Only a rare man of courage can confront this. Sons of Ali—which one of you will say, “I shall undertake it”?’
Those present cried out together, ‘We shall undertake it!’ Abdulkarim Al-Jasser related: ‘The gathering repeated the rallying cry of the Sons of Ali. Al-Oqilat assembled in something like a demonstration, carrying banners through the streets of Damascus. Some 1,200 Al-Oqilat fighters gathered, wound up their business affairs, bought weapons and ammunition, and set out for Kuwait through Iraq. They sent messengers to Al-Oqilat in Baghdad and Palestine. By the time they reached Kuwait, their force exceeded three thousand men. They dispatched envoys to Abdulaziz bin Saud to inform him that they had departed Kuwait and agreed to meet him in Al-Washm. They joined Abdulaziz's armies heading toward Al-Qassim and sent messengers ahead to notify its leaders of their arrival and arrange a meeting. The Battle of Al-Bukayriyah took place on the first of Rabi Al-Thani 1322 AH (1904).’
The Battle of Al-Bukayriyah was a decisive engagement in the wars between Al Rashid and Abdulaziz bin Saud. Abdulaziz's forces destroyed a large part of the Ottoman troops fighting beside Al Rashid, several of whose leaders were also killed. Although victorious, King Abdulaziz sought peace. He sent Fahd Al-Rashoudi, a notable of Buraidah, to Ibn Rashid to offer reconciliation and spare further bloodshed. Abdulaziz bin Rashid refused. His reply was that anyone seeking to rule Najd must not weary of war: ‘By God, there will be no peace until I have laid waste to Buraidah, Unaizah, and Riyadh.’ The armies remained for a long time at Al-Shinanah. One of King Abdulaziz's brothers then asked Al-Qassim's poet Mohammed Al-Ouni to recite an impassioned poem encouraging the fighters. The drums of the Najdi ardah sounded, and the poet began:
Peace be upon you, people of Al-Awja—and above all upon Abu Turki, the man who blinds the enemy's eye.
Sheikh, patience is exhausted by this long encampment; O answer to the cries of distress, O refuge of the stranger.
Strike at the difficult task and do not heed idle talk; the inexperienced stumble in confusion, while sound judgment finds the mark.
They came against us and we met them like disciplined states on the day of Al-Bukayriyah—and you know what happened in the ravine.
Honor the people of Al-Awja, crushers in the press of battle; they are your ample shield when companions fail.
The Sons of Ali take their place when darkness falls, keeping the fire of war alive amid the fiercest flame.
When your eyes remain awake, they too forsake their sleep—poison to your enemies, but to you as gentle as milk.
When the ranks of gunpowder form and the smoke glows red, tongues of flame sweep and mingle through its trailing edges.
Nothing clears reproach from the heart except courageous deeds on the day their resounding cry is heard.
Abdulaziz was in his tent. Deeply moved by the poet’s words, he emerged for battle and ordered the war drums sounded. Thus began the Battle of Al-Shinanah.
Sheikh and poet Abdulaziz bin Saleh bin Abdulaziz Al-Muhailib Al-Hamad, one of the well-known Al-Oqilat merchants
A celebrated poem he composed in 1350 AH while in Palestine with the Al-Oqilat. After four years away, he longed for his homeland and family in Najd and wrote this poem for his father, Sheikh Saleh bin Abdulaziz Al-Muhailib (Al-Hamad), and for his sisters and brothers—may Allah have mercy on them all.
In it, he says:
O rider of a red she-camel whose bridle is her rein—her forelegs and chest remain straight and true.
Red camels cross the open desert like ostriches, their hooves seeming scarcely to touch the ground.
I likened her in beauty to a dove whose two wings blur together the moment they rise in flight.
Her riders trust in her far-reaching speed; neither her saddle nor her ropes will ever fail them.
Her riders draw tight the packs against her girth; they leave Jaffa in the morning and reach Al-Nabk by evening.
At dawn they are at Dar Al-Wirk, with the road before her; by afternoon they turn toward the palace in Sakaka.
At morning a dense cloud of dust rises from where she runs; by afternoon she reaches the father from whom we seek news.
Tell him: ‘My eyes start from their sleep. Four years have passed since word reached me from their country.’
My debts are heavy and I fear the creditors, while everyone reproaches me for receiving no news of how they fare.
Yet I entrust to you, Father, the dark-veiled women; while I remain abroad, our concern is always for them.
He could not help me and remained in Tihamah. I asked for news; he said, ‘The Lord has not yet commanded their departure.’
Father, I felt my heart darken with worry for him, and felt within my chest great cauldrons boiling.
Father, we owe you remorse for our absence, from the day I saw your grey hairs shining in the light.
Your right over us is an obligation like the duty of fasting; we must hold fast to your right with our very molars.
May God strengthen Najd under its imam, who took charge of it with swords and gleaming weapons.
And in closing, convey my greetings to the whole community—to the brothers, the sisters, and everyone who asks after us.
Courage:
Wilfrid Blunt wrote that qualities of strength and youthful vigor, together with disregard for risk and peril, prepared Al-Oqilat from their earliest days to serve as soldiers. Ottoman Iraq first came to know them in this role; the battles of Najd, and especially Al-Qassim, later testified to it.
Quoted from Najdis Beyond the Borders.
No, by God—the camels now have an appointed day; the promise has become clear from men renowned for honorable conduct.
They are sons of Ali, guided against formidable foes, men of resolve who can master even the most difficult horse.
Their custom at the encounter is to overwhelm their rivals; when their swords meet the foe, faces bear the wounds.
Oh, the ache of my eyes, which have waged war against the sleep of noble men—how many are my restless thoughts, and how little my sleep.
Al-Oqilat displayed abundant courage and daring when circumstances required them to confront enemies face to face. They constantly dealt with tribes whose territories they crossed and faced problems along journeys repeated over many years. This experience gave them strength, resilience, composure, courage, and boldness to meet whatever threatened them, their caravans, or their wealth—whether covetous raiders or highwaymen lying in wait. Courage naturally differed from one Al-Oqilat man to another, according to the share God granted each person. In general, however, they were characterized by courage, initiative, and daring. Nothing demonstrates this more clearly than their crossing of those vast deserts.
The Al-Oqilat merchant Abdulrahman bin Ahmed bin Abdullah Al-Rawaf, known as Duhaim
Sheikh Duhaim was traveling westward with four herds of camels, accompanied by his son Abdullah, Fayez Al-Qulaish, several companions, and five Bedouin herders.
After they had traveled more than half the distance beyond Al-Hayyaniyah, the herders accompanying him said, ‘The money is too little. Increase our pay or we will not complete the journey.’ The sheikh realized that they harbored an evil intention: they meant to betray him and steal the camels. He replied, ‘Why did you not say this at the beginning of the road? You have no place with me while I, Abu Abdullah, am here,’ and expelled them. He ordered his caravan men not to let the camels stop but to urge them onward at speed. He mounted his son on the riding camel and told him not to leave it, whatever fatigue or difficulty befell him. Sheikh Duhaim mounted his mare and called to the camels at the top of his voice. They drove hard for three days without stopping until they reached the encampment of a sheikh of Anizah. The tribesmen saw the great cloud of dust thrown up by the racing camels and thought a raid was approaching. The Anizah sheikh went closer, climbed to a vantage point, looked through his telescope, and recognized Al-Oqilat. He informed his people. Sheikh Duhaim, who was known to them, arrived and told the Anizah leader what had happened. The sheikh gave Duhaim four herders to accompany him in his trade. The tribes held Al-Oqilat in exceptional esteem: traveling with them was regarded as receiving a certificate in discipline and good conduct.
An Example of Courage from One of the Youngest Al-Oqilat Men
Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Umairi was fourteen years old when an Al-Oqilat merchant sent him with supplies to a camel herd traveling toward Jordan. Shortly before the boy departed, the merchant bought a heavy pack camel in Buraidah market. Its former owner warned that the camel was ferocious and attacked anything in its path, but the merchant disregarded him. A long masamah pack frame was fitted over the saddle to carry the load. Mohammed headed north and stopped for the evening meal at Thumailat Al-Ubayyid in Al-Batin, where he hobbled the camel. The Al-Farhan herd arrived to drink there, including a she-camel that stirred the pack camel into a rutting fury. It tried to mount her, but the ropes and herders held it back. The next morning, after the herd had vanished from sight, Mohammed loaded the camel, which ground its teeth as they set off. From the track it spotted camels far to the northeast and began veering toward them. Whenever it encountered an arta or ramth shrub, it knelt upon it and crushed it; it destroyed several shrubs this way. The camel wore a nose halter with a lead strap. Mohammed pulled it, but it broke in his hand, leaving the animal completely loose. He tried to calm the camel so that he could secure it. When it stopped at a ramth shrub and knelt to eat, he approached from behind, stroked it, and removed ticks from its hide until it settled. He tied hair from its tail to one hind leg so that, upon standing, the leg remained raised and it could not walk. The camel rose, found its leg held up, and knelt again. Mohammed threw a rope over its head, tied it back to the tail, and secured it firmly. He tightened the hobble with his own hands and struck the camel on the head until it bellowed. He then twisted a cord from its tail hair, pierced its nose with his shabriyah dagger, passed the hair cord through the opening, and fitted a rein on either side. He continued until he reached the herder and the herd. The young Al-Oqilat man's composure, daring, patience, and ability to act in this dangerous situation were an act of courage and heroism.
Generosity: Al-Oqilat were renowned for generosity. Most came from Najd, a homeland celebrated as a source of generosity.
When Isa Al-Rumaih, one of the emirs of Al-Oqilat, led a caravan—whatever its size—a caller proclaimed, ‘Listen, Al-Oqilat! No one is permitted to light a fire.’ His guest tent stood open to all Al-Oqilat and their men. They were accustomed never to disobey an order issued by Isa Al-Rumaih.
One Al-Oqilat man related: ‘I traveled with a caravan in 1356 AH. It numbered more than two hundred tents. We assembled at the Qusaiba watering place, where Isa Al-Rumaih owned a spring and date palms. The caravan watered and prepared to depart. The caller announced that no one was permitted to light a fire. Throughout the journey from Qusaiba until we reached Amman, everyone in the caravan—merchants and others alike—ate and drank at Isa Al-Rumaih's expense.’
We descended into Al-Ghor, the Jordan Valley, and spent the winter between Jericho and Al-Fari'ah on the western bank of the Jordan River. More than 150 tents were pitched. The guest tent opened for food and drink, and throughout the winter everyone ate and drank at his expense.
When the blessed month of Ramadan came, Isa established a diwaniyah and a large house in Jerusalem where he held feasts for the poor and needy. His reputation reached the city's British military governor, who summoned him to his office. Isa did not go. He dismissed the messenger, saying, ‘If he wants me, let him come to my open house.’ Isa then invited the governor to visit their camp in Al-Ghor. A great reception was held for the governor and senior officials. Thereafter, the governor regularly visited Isa at his Jerusalem home and at the camp, where banquets open to everyone were held.
At one banquet, the governor presented Isa with a signed deed granting him land extending from north of Ain Jericho to the heights of Jabal Al-Fari'ah near Nablus. Isa declined the document, thanked the governor for his gift, and said: ‘The services I provide to my countrymen and the food I offer the poor arise from a nature God bestowed upon me. I expect no favor from anyone in return.’ In his Najdi dialect he added: ‘A single summer afternoon among my date palms in Qusaiba is worth the whole world and everything in it to me.’
Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Bassam, one of the emirs of Al-Oqilat, was renowned for generosity and became famous among rulers. During the reign of Mohammed Al-Abdullah Al-Rashid, he passed through Hail and went to greet him. In the council, Ibn Rashid teased Ibn Bassam: ‘Mohammed, with all this generosity and gift-giving, are you seeking to rule?’ He replied: ‘Your Highness, rule requires its own people. I am a merchant seeking profit. When my trade turns ten into twenty, we bestow some of God's bounty upon the people. That is our gain from commerce. We seek no rule—only a fine reputation for our country and its people.’
Hamoud Al-Barrak, one of the emirs of Al-Oqilat, was in Syria in 1340 AH when an epidemic struck many people, including eighty Al-Oqilat men. Fearing for them, he went to a carpenter and commissioned forty covered camel litters. Once they were ready, he bought fifty mats, placed the litters on forty of them, and assigned every two patients to one camel. The remaining camels carried luggage and food. He led the sick men out of Syria toward their homeland and supported them throughout the journey. After they entered the desert, its clean air met them and God lifted the epidemic from them; everyone recovered. They then burned the contaminated litters, mounted the camels, and returned home grateful for Hamoud's generosity.
Trustworthiness:
What is meant by ‘upon their necks’? Al-Oqilat men were held up as the highest example of trustworthiness. A man among them would prefer death to being called a traitor or liar. They bought from one another without writing a document or seeking collateral. They also took camels from their owners under an agreement to pay after the sale. Once the camels were sold, they gave people their full due and retained only their own capital.
Trustworthiness is one of the principal foundations of commerce. Without it, a business is destined to fail, however prosperous it may appear. Trustworthiness is not confined to trade; it belongs to every requirement and every course of human life. Yet it is especially fundamental in commerce, because sound business dealings cannot exist without it. For an Al-Oqilat man engaged in trade and transport, trustworthiness was a principal factor in success. Al-Oqilat were so well known for it that merchants and ordinary people throughout Arab countries placed extraordinary confidence in them, entrusting deposits and other valuables to their care. They crossed the deserts in pursuit of an honest livelihood; all the more reason that trustworthiness should be their banner.
A story about the trustworthiness of Saleh Al-Ghannam, one of the well-known Al-Oqilat figures:
A group of Al-Oqilat men traveling toward Al-Qassim stopped for the night in an area called Al-Bah, one day's journey from the watering place. After the dawn prayer, they loaded their animals and traveled to Mard Adhfa. On arrival, the Al-Oqilat man Saleh Al-Ghannam took water and walked into the inner channel of the wadi. There he found two money belts filled with gold pounds that a traveler had forgotten. He fastened them around his stomach and returned to his companions. They left the watering place and continued toward Al-Qassim. Satan tempted Saleh to deny finding the money, and he wrestled with the temptation until his companions could see its effect upon him. They asked, ‘What is wrong, Saleh?’ He answered, ‘Nothing.’ After they had traveled through the day, two mounted men approached, calling at the top of their voices: ‘Remember God, Al-Oqilat! Which of you found the money belts?’ Saleh shouted back as loudly as he could, ‘Good news—we have them!’ After identifying the owners, he returned both belts. When asked why he had shouted so loudly, Saleh replied, ‘To overcome Satan.’ Related by the notable narrator and poet Sheikh Fahd Al-Ouni.
Truthfulness:
One historian wrote: “The Arab world knew the Al-Oqilat only for their honesty and devotion to their work. Christians and Jews who accompanied them—travelers and merchants alike—as well as Muslims, testified to their good character, sound judgment, keen intelligence, courage, trustworthiness, honesty, and the other qualities of a true Muslim and an authentic Arab.”
Chivalry: taking the initiative to give, sacrifice, and perform good deeds.
There is the story related by Sheikh Saleh Al-Mohsen. Mohammed Al-Aql left Buraidah for Egypt and spent two years seeking a livelihood amid hardship and toil. At the end of that period, he bought two mounts and began his return home. As he left Sinai, Bedouin highwaymen attacked him, stripped him of his clothing, and left him psychologically traumatized. Al-Oqilat carried him to Sheikh Saleh Al-Mohsen, an imam of a mosque in Sinai and a man trusted to hold people's deposits. The sheikh cared for him for a week and kept him in his home until he recovered and regained his strength. He then gave him a horse and gold pounds. Mohammed traveled to Palestine and later joined the Saudi army in its early days.
Mohammed Al-Ahmed Al-Rawaf
He was a man of chivalry and generosity, as shown by his story with Ibn Thunayan of Manahil Huwailan, southwest of Buraidah. Ibn Thunayan had become so burdened by debt that he could no longer enter Buraidah or leave his farm for fear that creditors would see him. He avoided meeting anyone.
As his circumstances grew desperate, he resolved to travel and leave the country. He asked his son to bring the donkey he used for transportation and sell it in Unaizah rather than Buraidah, fearing that his creditors would seize its value. It was the last thing he could leave his children before departing. He instructed his son to keep the money for the family's expenses, because he might not return ‘until God grants relief.’ This was his parting instruction.
The following morning, after selling his only means of transportation, Ibn Thunayan walked to Buraidah. He reached Nasser Mosque south of the city in time for the dawn prayer. When the prayer ended, he went to the home of Mohammed Al-Rawaf, who welcomed him warmly. Ibn Thunayan explained his problem with his creditors and asked for compassion and protection, and for permission to accompany Al-Oqilat, who were preparing to travel to Iraq under Mohammed Al-Rawaf's leadership. Al-Rawaf accepted him as a man under his protection and told one of his companions to take Ibn Thunayan into the camel enclosure beside the house, choose the finest camel, and equip it exactly as Al-Rawaf's own mount was equipped. Ibn Thunayan stayed in Mohammed Al-Rawaf's home until the Al-Oqilat caravan departed, traveling in the emir's company with honor and respect. The caravan set out from Al-Turfiyah for Baghdad. It comprised two hundred camel groups: thirty belonging to Ibn Rawaf and the remainder to Al-Oqilat merchants and their companions. They followed the watering places along the Zubaydah route. In the Al-Oqilat diwaniyah in Baghdad's Al-Karkh district, also known as Sawb Aqil, Mohammed Al-Rawaf proposed collecting enough for Ibn Thunayan to pay his debt and return to his family in Al-Qassim. He assessed every merchant ten Ottoman pounds and contributed thirty himself; each herder and companion gave one pound. He ordered a companion to circulate a tray among those present, and each person placed upon it whatever he could. The total exceeded seven hundred Ottoman pounds. Mohammed Al-Rawaf equipped a mount for him. With the collection, Ibn Thunayan bought several camels and loaded them with food and provisions. Before leaving, he asked permission to recite a poem thanking them for their generosity. He said:
Yesterday morning I climbed to the top of a lookout and cried out, calling to the men upon the watchtowers.
I groaned like a sick man treated but never healed, whose illness worsened after the medicine and left him far from health.
Or like the groan of one whose deep-rooted molar is pulled, when the pincers close and their hooks spread apart.
Or like one struck painfully in the eye while his family is far away, carried off by noble companions.
At the sight of the fair camels with beautiful lashes and pale flanks, I said, ‘Well-being has departed.’
When two stars disappear with the dawn, Canopus rises clearly before those who watch the seasons.
We set out upon six young she-camels, bright as white pasture, unwearied by the packs behind their humps.
Among them was a fine, even-tempered riding camel; when they strode with the chosen herd, they looked like locusts in flight.
When the market holds both those you owe and those who owe you, exile is kinder than facing the demanding creditors.
This is the reproach I uttered after climbing the lookout: who but you, Al-Oqilat, will fulfill what is asked?
Ibn Thunayan returned to Al-Qassim honored and respected.
Nasser bin Ghaith and his brother Abdullah were Al-Oqilat merchants. They bought camels in Buraidah market and traveled with them to Baghdad and Syria, never separating on their journeys. The elder brother decided to marry and became betrothed, so Abdullah traveled alone on this occasion while Nasser remained in Buraidah. After Abdullah reached Baghdad and sold his camels, he sat in the Al-Oqilat diwaniyah in Sawb Al-Karkh, unusually sad. Another Al-Oqilat man asked what was wrong. He replied, ‘Nothing, but I feel a tightness in my chest.’
The Al-Oqilat caravan prepared and departed Baghdad. While crossing Al-Musayyib Bridge near the city, it met a caravan arriving from Al-Qassim. One Al-Oqilat man immediately offered Abdullah condolences on the death of his brother Nasser. Abdullah fainted from the shock. His companions sprinkled water over him until he regained consciousness, and the caravan continued. For days he could not sleep. At the evening camp, one companion told him, ‘Rest, Abdullah. You have not slept for five days.’ He recited these lines:
Ibn Ghaith said: Sleep fought his eyes—Abdullah, patient with the judgment of the ruler
How can I sleep when the house and all within it lie in ruins? My brother was the one whose affection for me remained pure.
He never once troubled my heart; throughout his life he never said, ‘This is mine and that belongs to me.’
Selflessness: preferring others over oneself is a virtue for which Arabs have been renowned since ancient times.
Two Al-Oqilat men returned from Syria, each carrying a money belt filled with gold pounds. They stopped on the road to drink coffee. One went to gather firewood and placed his red belt upon his baggage, while his companion remained nearby. A kite swooped down and carried the belt away. The companion quietly placed his own money belt on his friend's baggage. After coffee, he said, ‘A thought has occurred to me; I am going back to Iraq.’ The other man continued to Buraidah, where he later found his original belt in a sidr tree beside the kite's nest. He realized: ‘So that is why my companion turned back—he feared I would not believe him.’ When he returned from Buraidah to Syria, he used the gold in the belt to buy camels and branded them with his companion's mark. In the market he found his faithful friend working as an auctioneer. After they embraced, he said, ‘I have camels for you to auction.’ His friend saw the brand. He explained, ‘This is the value of the belt you gave me.’ The camels were sold and doubled its value. In brief, this illustrates Al-Oqilat's loyalty and selflessness toward one another.
Good Intentions: to assume good intent is to reject suspicion, set aside the expectation of wrongdoing, and understand matters according to the intention upon which the heart has settled. A traditional saying states, in meaning, ‘You receive provision according to your intentions,’ while a proverb says, ‘Intention is a mount.’
The Money Belt and the Syrian Merchant. A kamar is a broad leather belt in which money is carried. Sheikh Abdulaziz Al-Musnad related the story of an Al-Oqilat man who owned such a belt, transmitting it from his father; others have also told it. In brief, the man dealt with a merchant in Damascus. He would take from him a kamar filled with investment money, travel to Palestine to buy goods, sell them in Egypt or Najd, then return the capital and profit to the merchant while retaining his own agreed share. He worked with this merchant for several years. On one occasion, as usual, he took a belt full of money—but this time he did not return. The Syrian merchant missed him and asked his community, but they had no news. The merchant thought: ‘Something must have happened to him, but he cannot have died, for news of his death would have reached us.’ He sent a representative to the man's house. The representative repeatedly asked for him, and his wife said that he was traveling. Eventually the merchant despaired of his return and went to the house himself. He knocked and asked for the man; again the wife said he was away. ‘I am so-and-so,’ the merchant said. ‘Open the door.’ When she opened it, he searched the rooms one by one until he found the man hiding in one of them, visibly exhausted and ill from his long confinement. The merchant nudged him with his foot and asked, ‘Why have you done this to yourself?’ The man could not answer; words failed him. The merchant led him to the diyar—the house's central courtyard in Syrian usage—and said, ‘Tell me what happened. Do not be afraid.’ Haltingly and in a trembling voice, the man explained: ‘The last time I left you, I had the belt containing one thousand pounds around my waist. I stopped at Hammam Al-Salihiyah to bathe and placed it on a shelf inside. When I finished, I dressed and left, forgetting the belt. I returned minutes later, but it was gone. I remained at home thinking: if I claim it was lost or stolen, who would believe me?’ The merchant replied: ‘Less than an hour after you left that day, a man I did not know came and handed me the belt with not one pound missing. I gave him a reward of ten pounds and charged five of them to your account. I expected you to return immediately afterward. My friend, honestly earned wealth is not lost. If we had doubted you Al-Oqilat, we would never have entrusted our property to you.’ The Al-Oqilat man then resumed his work with the Syrian merchant.
Self-Confidence: confidence in oneself supports success in life's affairs; confidence in others is the secret of dealing successfully with them; and confidence in God is the foundation of every action. When a person places his trust in Almighty God, God grants success in his work. As the sacred hadith says: ‘I am as My servant thinks of Me.’
On one Al-Oqilat journey, their caravan included sixty camel units. The French representative in Jordan normally charged three pounds for every camel. Seeing the unusually large number, he attempted to exploit Al-Oqilat and demanded ten pounds per head. Sulaiman Al-Subaihi, leader of the campaign, refused to pay more than the customary three. He told the representative: ‘Either we enter for three pounds, or we shall turn Amman's day into night.’ Surprised by the reply, the Frenchman sent men throughout Amman to investigate Al-Oqilat's business activity. They found that Al-Oqilat controlled most of the city's economic work. He then said: ‘The Al-Oqilat man spoke the truth. If Al-Oqilat withdrew from Amman, our day would become night for lack of activity whenever their caravans turned instead toward Syria or Palestine.’ He resumed negotiations until the fee returned to three pounds.
The Complete Trust Placed in Them. Everyone from every country who dealt with Al-Oqilat agreed that they were trustworthy, truthful, loyal, and protective of wealth—and this consensus was proven in practice. Most Al-Oqilat had no formal education and came from a distant country cut off from the wider world, where government was neither stable nor widely known. Nevertheless, people entrusted them with valuable property. When an Al-Oqilat man reached Syria or Palestine, a merchant handed him money without a document, ledger entry, or identity check. This trust was not confined to an established trader but extended to any newcomer among them. When he approached, the merchant would ask, ‘Who are you?’ He would answer, ‘An Al-Oqilat man.’ The merchant then asked, ‘Whose name do you rely upon?’—meaning who sponsored, knew, and could identify him. The traveler named an Al-Oqilat figure well known to the merchants, and the merchant handed him a kamar, the leather belt worn around the waist to conceal money. Such a belt commonly held one or two thousand gold pounds. Al-Oqilat were also celebrated for cooperation and mutual care. Before a caravan departed, they customarily camped two miles outside town to prepare themselves and inspect their affairs. There, affection and fellowship became visible; each person understood himself as part of a community, sharing its rights and duties. They checked on one another, advised anyone who needed guidance, and inspected their mounts and requirements throughout the journey until their return. They paid exceptional attention to finances, lest one person's misconduct damage the reputation of all. They knew how much money each man carried, whether it belonged to him or had been entrusted as trading capital, and who every owner was—even if someone's share amounted to only ten riyals. They monitored individual conduct, encouraged those who performed well, guided those who erred, and restrained wrongdoers. This close oversight enabled them to intervene when necessary. If a man's position declined, they helped him and opened a path for him to join established merchants. If someone rebelled against their standards, they took the entrusted money in his possession and immediately sent him home. If financial disaster befell one of them, they repaired his loss and lifted him from the fall until he could stand on his feet again.
Caution: caution is a human necessity, especially for those crossing deserts and barren lands. The greatest danger was not the predatory beast, but the person with a savage nature—particularly highwaymen from desert communities and those who carried out what were called raids.
Traveler Henry Layard wrote that the Al-Oqilat cared for those accompanying them, defended them on their journeys, and treated them kindly. Describing two Al-Oqilat escorts, he said: “At night my companions were extremely vigilant. Every tree put them on their guard against anyone who might be concealed behind it. They listened so intently that every rustle sounded to them like horses’ hooves. This caution did not arise from fear; when I understood the extent of their vigilance, I slept in safety.”
Henry Layard Early Adventures in Persia Susiana and Babylon 1884 P.301
Good Conduct in Dealing with Others
Al-Oqilat were renowned for their good conduct. Everyone who dealt with them praised them and sought to do business with them again because of their truthfulness and loyalty.
On the road from Syria to Al-Qassim, Al-Oqilat met a man from the Anizah tribe who asked to accompany them. As the proverb says, ‘A person who does not know you cannot know your worth.’ He called out in verse:
O riders whose caravan comes on from Syria, turn the necks of your mounts toward me and let me ride.
I am a stranger in this land and my people are the Najdis; I have come to you, riders, seeking your protection.
I tell you I am not greedy for provisions; I shall tend your mounts, and I am no man to be treated lightly.
And so the poem continues.
After this poem, all the Al-Oqilat welcomed him warmly. Their leader, Ibrahim Al-Jarbou‘, assigned him to a different group each day. Several days later, when the Al-Oqilat reached the lands of Al-Anazi’s people, Sheikh Ibrahim Al-Jarbou‘ collected one gold lira for Al-Anazi from every group and presented the money to him—an example of the Al-Oqilat’s gracious conduct.
Among Their Customs:
They did not permit any man among them to remain apart from the group. Woe to one who spent the night outside their designated camp or was missing from the dawn prayer. They disciplined an offender themselves at the moment of his fault and before the assembled community. In this way they raised young men and accustomed them to morality, public decorum, and restraint from mixing indiscriminately with people outside Al-Oqilat, lest they adopt unfamiliar habits. Abroad, they recreated the life they knew at home. Arabic coffee was freely offered, and the ringing mortar called guests while proclaiming chivalry and generosity. They became renowned for this serious and upright upbringing, until it passed into proverb. People still say, ‘So-and-so was raised by Al-Oqilat.’ Of someone whose behavior they criticize, they say, ‘Al-Oqilat never shaped his character,’ or, ‘He never rode on a campaign with Al-Oqilat.’ This was not an empty boast but a reality known and admired by others. Among those who remain today, candor, seriousness, and integrity are still visible in character and conduct.
The poet Hessa Mohammed Al-Fawzan said of her son when he travelled with the Al-Oqilat:
Mohammed, you departed as a follower with the camel caravan and journeyed far from us, O dearest of my heart.
From the first, we hoped you would come to us from Arwaq, and I have counted the days one by one.
Were it not for modesty, I would pour out my voice in the markets, calling to you, crying out, and calling again.
I have asked the One worshipped, who raised the layered heavens, to care for me and favor me above all His servants.
May He show kindness to my state, weak and full of longing, while my heart flies ahead of him like a swarm of locusts.
May He comfort my eyes with the sight of you and let no obstacle delay you; may I see you here again in the homeland.
May provision come to you from every horizon—provision from the Lord beyond all counting.
May you discharge every obligation without stinting in generosity and settle within your home a gazelle of the uplands.
A slender beauty for whom the yearning heart rejoices; she comes to my mind exactly as I desire.
A beauty who has captivated every admirer, noble in lineage through forefathers of distant renown.
Lord, favor us above every base man; grant us honorable faces and a flourishing line of descendants.
Loyalty:
The Al-Oqilat man Abdullah bin Ali bin Abdulaziz Al-Dakhil was returning from Syria to Al-Qassim when one of his companions, Abdulrahman bin Saeed Al-Saeed, became gravely ill near Tayma and could no longer ride a camel. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Dakhil told the others, ‘Go on. I shall remain with him until he recovers.’ The caravan continued toward Al-Qassim while Abdullah stayed and cared for his companion for two months, until God took him. This act of Sheikh Abdullah Al-Dakhil's loyalty deserves to be written in gold.
We also recall the loyalty of the Al-Oqilat man Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Salamah toward his companion Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sudairi, known as the man of Khabb Al-Awshaz. Al-Sudairi fell ill in Jordan, and Al-Salamah remained to nurse him until he recovered; the two then continued their trading journey. Years passed and both reached old age. Al-Sudairi suffered a stroke that impaired his memory. Al-Salamah visited and asked, ‘Do you know me?’ Al-Sudairi answered, ‘I know you. You are the friend of my lifetime. Even if sand were piled as high as I am tall, I would never forget your companionship in hardship.’
12 – Standing Beside Their Brothers in Times of Hardship
Al-Oqilat participated in wars against colonial forces in Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, and Syria. A prominent example is the figure known as the Hero of Maysalun. Maysalun is a valley in Syria where a battle took place between Syrians and colonial forces, with eight hundred Al-Oqilat men participating. Syrians still identify the grave of the Hero of Maysalun as that of ‘the Al-Oqaili.’
13 – Thought and Knowledge Among Al-Oqilat
The traveler Wilfrid Blunt recorded an example of Al-Oqilat thinking. An Al-Oqilat man named Zaid was speaking with Blunt about certain Egyptian peasants and described them as simple people who feared darkness because they were afraid of spirits. Their conversation continued. Blunt asked, ‘Do you not have spirits in Najd?’ Zaid replied, ‘Belief in spirits is a form of ignorance. There are no spirits at all, in Najd or anywhere else. But these people are so credulous that their blood runs cold at their very mention.’ Blunt said, ‘What a philosopher you are! Do all the people of Najd share your view of spirits?’ Zaid answered, ‘The people of Najd are courageous, and therefore know nothing of spirits. They travel for ten, twenty, or forty days through the desert without encountering any. In Najd we believe in none but God.’ Blunt asked, ‘Do you believe in nothing of that kind?’ Zaid replied, ‘The people of Najd fear no created being. There is, of course, Satan, who sometimes appears to them disguised as a cow or goat, but they do not fear him. He cannot harm them because they believe in Almighty God.’
Blunt asked, ‘Do Najdis speak to Satan?’
Zaid replied, ‘Satan may travel beside them in disguise. Once, a man from Buraidah was riding alone on his she-camel with no companion. A storm rose, the sky darkened, and the earth became so black that he could see nothing. In the midst of this, he heard a voice call to him and ask where he was heading in such forbidding weather. The man felt no fear. When lightning flashed, he saw a sheep clinging to the neck of his camel. He reached out and felt it, then said, “By God, you are nothing but a sheep, and my proof is that you have fleece.” Satan replied, “And judging by your perception and reasoning, you too are nothing but a sheep.” Then Satan freed himself from the camel's neck, slipped to the ground, and fled.’
See Blunt Scoisn, p. 36.
Quoted from Najdis Beyond the Borders, p. 188.
Compiled and prepared by Abdullatif bin Saleh Al-Wuhaibi