Badr or Badar bin Saif (died 1806) was a member of the

Al Said The House of Al Bu Said (, ), is the current ruling royal family of Oman, and former ruling house of the Omani Empire (1744–1856), Muscat and Oman, Sultanate of Muscat and Oman (1856–1970) and the Sultanate of Zanzibar (1856–1964). It wa ...

dynasty of Oman. In 1804, he became regent while the heirs to the sultanate were minors. When he attempted to increase his power in 1806 he was killed.

Early years

Badr bin Saif was the son of Saif bin Ahmad, one of the sons of

Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi Ahmad bin Said al-Busaidi (1694 – 15 December 1783) was the first ruler of Oman of the Al Bu Said dynasty. He came to power during a period when Oman was divided by civil war, and the Persians had occupied large parts of the country. During his ...

, the first sultan of the Al Said dynasty. His uncle, Sultan bin Ahmad, became ruler of Oman in 1792. While Sultan was away on a pilgrimage to

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

early in 1803, Badr bin Saif made an attempt to get control of Fort Al Jalali, a key stronghold guarding

Muscat Muscat (, ) is the capital and most populous city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the population of the Muscat Governorate in 2022 was 1.72 million. ...

harbor. The story is that he was being smuggled into the fort in a large box, but was detected by a

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

trader. He managed to escape and took refuge in

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

. In

Zubarah Zubarah (), also referred to as Al Zubarah or Az Zubarah, is a ruined, ancient town located on the northwestern coast of the Qatar peninsula in the Al Shamal municipality, about from the capital Doha. It was founded by Shaikh Muhammed bin Khal ...

, in Qatar he asked for protection from the

Wahhabi Wahhabism is an exonym for a Salafi revivalist movement within Sunni Islam named after the 18th-century Hanbali scholar Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It was initially established in the central Arabian region of Najd and later spread to other ...

s, and adopted their beliefs. They helped him with two abortive attempts to take Muscat. He then travelled to

Najd Najd is a Historical region, historical region of the Arabian Peninsula that includes most of the central region of Saudi Arabia. It is roughly bounded by the Hejaz region to the west, the Nafud desert in Al-Jawf Province, al-Jawf to the north, ...

and met the Amir Saud, who made him welcome. Sultan bin Ahmad left on an expedition to

Basra Basra () is a port city in Iraq, southern Iraq. It is the capital of the eponymous Basra Governorate, as well as the List of largest cities of Iraq, third largest city in Iraq overall, behind Baghdad and Mosul. Located near the Iran–Iraq bor ...

in 1804. He died near the island of Qeshm in mid-November 1804 during a minor skirmish. Sultan had appointed Mohammed bin Nasir bin Mohammed al-Jabry the Regent and guardian of his two young sons,

Salim bin Sultan Salim bin Sultan was joint Sultan of Oman with his brother Said bin Sultan, ruling between 1804 and 1806. Salim bin Sultan was son of Sultan bin Ahmad, who ruled Oman from 1792 to 1804. Sultan bin Ahmad died in 1804 on an expedition to Basra. He ...

and

Said bin Sultan Sayyid Saïd bin Sultan al-Busaidi (, , ) (5 June 1791 – 19 October 1856) was Sultan of Muscat and Oman, the fifth ruler of the Al Bu Said dynasty from 1804 to 4 June 1856. His rule began after a period of conflict and internecine rivalry of su ...

Dynastic power struggle

After Sultan's death the tribes to the north broke away from Omani authority, while a struggle for power broke out within the ruling family. Badr bin Saif, based in Muscat, gained the support of the Wahhabi leader, Su'ud, in this contest. The former sultan's brother Qais bin Ahmad decided to try to seize power. Early in 1805, he joined forces with his younger brother Mohammed and marched down the coast to

Muttrah Muttrah, () administratively a province, is located in the Muscat Governorate of Oman. Before the discovery of oil in Oman, Muttrah was the center of commerce in Oman (Muscat). It is still a center of commerce as one of the largest seaports of ...

, which he took with little opposition. Mohammed bin Nasir tried to buy Qais off with a large monthly annuity. Qais refused since he had growing support and was confident of success, and continued to besiege

. Mohammed bin Nasir called on Badr bin Saif for help. Badr bin Saif arrived at Muscat just in time to forestall its capitulation. He also arranged for the Wahabbis to attack Sohar as a diversion. Qais agree to lift the siege in return for being given Al Khaburah and part of the Batinah. A month later Qais returned and again took Muttrah, but was forced to withdraw when a large seaborne force of Wahabbis appeared. He accepted peace on the grounds that he would gain Muttrah as well as the other places he had taken, and a monthly subsidy. In July, Qais broke his engagement and again advanced on Muscat. The Wahabbis again attacked Sohar, while Said bin Sultan advanced into the

Samail Samāʾil () is a ''Wilayah'' (Province) located in Muscat Region of the Sultanate of Oman. It is surrounded by a range of towering mountains, and its valley, Wadi Samail, is approximately from the capital Muscat. The population is around 40, ...

valley. Kais was forced to make peace, and gave up Muttrah and his subsidy.

Effective ruler

The rulers of Bahrain, the Al Kalifah, had come under the power of the Wahabbis. They were forced to leave members of their families in

as hostages to their loyalty. In 1805, they appealed for protection from Badr bin Saif, now the effective ruler of Muscat. He sent warships and helped them evacuate their family from Zubarah to Bahrain. The Al Kalifah then asked the British Resident in Muscat, Captain David Seton, if the British would provide one or two gunboats to help them and Badr bin Saif keep the Wahhabis under control in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. Seton recommended acceptance, but the British did not want to become involved in Bahraini politics. The next year the Al Kalifah declared their independence of Badr bin Saif. By 1805, the people of Muscat were becoming concerned with Badr's close relations with the Wahhabis. He paid tribute and maintenance for a force of 400 Wahabbi cavalry stationed at Barka. He also enforced the strict Wahhabi doctrines, destroyed the minarets of

Ibadi Ibadism (, ) is a school of Islam concentrated in Oman established from within the Kharijites. The followers of the Ibadi sect are known as the Ibadis or, as they call themselves, The People of Truth and Integrity (). Ibadism emerged around 6 ...

and

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

mosques and enforced regular attendance at prayers. At one point the Wahhabi leader called on Badr to attack India as part of the ''Jihad''. He was forced to stall since this would mean attacking his British allies. In 1806, there were further inconclusive military operations against Kais in Sohar. The same year Badr bin Saif began to make moves to increase his power. He made his ward Salim bin Sultan governor of Al Maşna‘ah, on the Batinah coast and Said bin Sultan governor of Barka to remove them from government affairs.

Death

Badr bin Saif died on 31 July 1806. He was lured to Burka and attacked by Said bin Sultan at Naaman, a nearby village. There are different accounts of what happened, but it seems clear that Said struck the first blow and his supporters finished the job. Said was acclaimed by the people as a liberator from the Wahhabis, who left the country. Qais bin Ahmad at once gave his support to Said. Nervous of the Wahhabi reaction, Said blamed Mohammed bin Nasir for the murder. Badr bin Saif left two sons, Hamud and Saif. Hamud became deputy governor of

Rustaq Rustaq () is a town and Provinces of Oman, ''Wilayah'' (District) in Al Batinah Region of northern Oman. The wilayah is in the Western Hajar Mountains, in the Al Batinah South Governorate, south of the Batinah. Rustaq was once the capital of Om ...

in 1833.

References

Notes Citations Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Badr bin Saif 1806 deaths 19th-century Arab people Al Said dynasty Year of birth missing