Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود ''ʿAbd Allāh bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd''; 1893 – 4 December 1976) was a Saudi Arabian statesman, soldier, and royal counsellor. He was a prominent advisor and member of the inner council of his elder half-brother,

King Abdulaziz Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud ( ar, عبد العزيز بن عبد الرحمن آل سعود, ʿAbd al ʿAzīz bin ʿAbd ar Raḥman Āl Suʿūd; 15 January 1875Ibn Saud's birth year has been a source of debate. It is generally accepted ...

. After Abdulaziz died in 1953, Prince Abdullah continued to be involved in state affairs during the reigns of his nephews Saud,

Faisal Faisal, Faisel, Fayçal or Faysal ( ar, فيصل) is an Arabic given name. Faisal, Fayçal or Faysal may also refer to: People * King Faisal (disambiguation) ** Faisal I of Iraq and Syria (1885–1933), leader during the Arab Revolt ** Faisal ...

, and

Khalid Khalid (variants include Khaled and Kalid; Arabic: خالد) is a popular Arabic male given name meaning "eternal, everlasting, immortal", and it also appears as a surname. He was the seventh son of

Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Abdul (also transliterated as Abdal, Abdel, Abdil, Abdol, Abdool, or Abdoul; ar, عبد ال, ) is the most frequent transliteration of the combination of the Arabic word '' Abd'' (, meaning "Servant") and the definite prefix '' al / el'' (, me ...

, Emir of Nejd, and one of the grandsons of Emir Faisal bin Turki. He had a number of half-siblings on his father's side; his half-brother Abdulaziz would become the

king of Saudi Arabia The king of Saudi Arabia is the monarchial head of state and ruler of Saudi Arabia who holds absolute power. He is the head of the Saudi Arabian royal family, the House of Saud. The king is called the " Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques" (), ...

, while his half-brothers

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

, Ahmed, and

Musaid Musaid or Imsaad ( ar, امساعد) is a town in Butnan District in eastern Libya. Alternates names include: Oistant, Msa'ed, Imsa'ed, and Musa'ed. Musaid lies approximately east of Tobruk and is the major border crossing between Libya and Egyp ...

would all play an important role in the Saudi government.

Career

Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman was prominent in the military campaigns of his elder half-brother Abdulaziz as he laid the foundations of the future state of Saudi Arabia. He led the Saudi forces in the capture of

Hijaz The Hejaz (, also ; ar, ٱلْحِجَاز, al-Ḥijāz, lit=the Barrier, ) is a region in the west of Saudi Arabia. It includes the cities of Mecca, Medina, Jeddah, Tabuk, Yanbu, Taif, and Baljurashi. It is also known as the "Western Provinc ...

in 1924. He was responsible for the capture and destruction of the

Ikhwan The Ikhwan ( ar, الإخوان, al-ʾIkhwān, The Brethren), commonly known as Ikhwan min ta'a Allah ( ar, إخوان من أطاع الله), was a traditionalist religious militia made up of traditionally nomadic tribesmen which formed a signif ...

centre of Ghat Ghat during the Ikhwan Revolt of 1929. He became a frequent participant in the political committee formed by the King in 1932 following the establishment of Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdullah and other senior family members met with King Abdulaziz upon the latter's request in late December 1934 to reaffirm their allegiance to Crown Prince Saud who had been appointed to the post in May 1933. However, Abdullah and his half-brothers Muhammad and Ahmed told the king that their allegiance to him was still active, but they did not renew their allegiance to the crown prince. Then they sent a letter to King Abdulaziz explaining the reasons for their views about Crown Prince Saud. However, Abdullah continued to be the key counsellor of the King, a member of the privy council, and one of the king's official advisors until the King's death in 1953. He was a participant at the meeting with the British prime minister Winston Churchill in 1945, and was given a left-hand side Rolls-Royce. He also accompanied King Abdulaziz to the meeting with

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on 14 February 1945. Abdullah was part of the council of ministers with the title of chief advisor to King Saud. During the rivalry between King Saud and Crown Prince Faisal, Abdullah first supported the former in 1960. However, from 1961 he endorsed the actions of the latter, facilitating Faisal's attempts to be successful. Upon Prince Abdullah's endorsement of Crown Prince Faisal King Saud reduced his allowance in April 1961. On 6 January 1965 Prince Abdullah accompanied Saud in the latter's declaration of allegiance to King Faisal. At the beginning of King Faisal's reign Prince Abdullah became a member of the council which had been established by him to guide the succession issues. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman was among five senior princes who met immediately after the assassination of King Faisal and proclaimed then Crown Prince Khalid the king of Saudi Arabia.

Views, personal life and death

Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman was conservative, and opposed some new policies of King Faisal, including reduction of financial support to tribal leaders, religious figures and older members of the royal family as well as educational reforms. Noura bint Fahd Al Muhanna Aba Al Khail was one of his spouses and the mother of Khalid bin Abdullah. His son, Abdul Rahman, was one of the members of Al Saud Family Council which was established in June 2000 by Crown Prince Abdullah to discuss private issues, including business activities of princes and marriages of princesses to nonroyals. Abdul Rahman bin Abdullah married Noura bint Musaid, who died in July 2016, the daughter of his uncle, Prince Musaid. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman's son, Khalid bin Abdullah, married

Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Jawhara bint Abdulaziz Al Saud is a member of the House of Saud. Early life Al Jawhara is the daughter of Hassa Al Sudairi of the Al Sudairi family, one of the most powerful families in Nejd. Her father was King Abdulaziz, the founder of t ...

, full sister of the

Sudairi Seven The Sudairi Seven ( ar, السديريون السبعة, ''As Sudayriyyūn as Sabʿah''), also spelled ''Sudairy'' or ''Sudayri'', is the commonly used name for a powerful alliance of seven full brothers within the Saudi royal family. They are al ...

. One of his daughters, Jawhara bint Abdullah, married Saud bin Faisal, former foreign affairs minister of Saudi Arabia. Another, Noura, was the spouse of Turki bin Abdulaziz, her cousin. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman died on 4 December 1976.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saud, Abdullah Abdul Rahman

Abdullah Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

1893 births 1976 deaths Saudi Arabian military personnel

Sons of monarchs