Talib Pasha bin Rajab Al-Naqib Al-Refa'i () was an Iraqi politician, who became the first

Minister of Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Family

He was a descendant of

Husayn ibn Ali Husayn ibn Ali (; 11 January 626 – 10 October 680 Common Era, CE) was a social, political and religious leader in early medieval Arabia. The grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and an Alids, Alid (the son of Ali ibn Abu Talib ibn Abd a ...

, a grandson of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

The al-Naqib family comes from the city of Mandali, where Talib (the great-grandfather) emigrated with his two sons, Muhammad Sa'eed and Abdul Rahman, 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 ...

between 1811 and 1814. Other sources say that they lived in

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 ...

, but the

Abbasid Caliph The Abbasid caliphs were the holders of the Islamic title of caliph who were members of the Abbasid dynasty, a branch of the Quraysh tribe descended from the uncle of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The family came ...

, Al-Qa'im Bi-Amrillah, brought them to be the Sheikhs of Nobles of Basra. After the death of Talib his son Abdul Rahman inherited the sheikdom in 1874 and then, Muhammad Sa'eed, who became the vice-chairman of the properties of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. When Muhammad Sa'eed got old, he made his son, Rajab, the vice-chairman of the sultan's properties. After the death of Muhammad Sa'eed in 1896, Rajab became the Sheikh of Nobles. He intimidated the

Valis ''Valis'' (stylized as ''VALIS'') is a 1981 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, intended to be the first book of a three-part series. The title is an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System'', Dick's gnostic vi ...

of Basra. People called him

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

. Most of the al-Naqib family moved to

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

around 1900 and became famous there.

Early life

In 1899, Rajab sent his son, Talib, to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, to solve the problems between the first ruler of

, Mubarak Al-Sabah and the Vali of

, Hamdi Pasha, about the 1899 treaty between the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and Kuwait, and he succeeded. After that, Hamdi Pasha was deposed, replacing him with Muhsin Pasha. Talib also solved the problem between the Sheikh of Mohammerah, Khaz'al al-Ka'bi and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, about Khaz'al's properties in

. He donated some of his money to the Ottomans during their conflicts with the

Principality of Bulgaria The Principality of Bulgaria () was a vassal state under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire. It was established by the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. After the Russo-Turkish War ended with a Russian victory, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed ...

, and for that, he was given the special rank of Mermaran, by Sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...

, in 1895.

Governor of Al-Hasa

In 1901, al-Naqib was set as the governor of

al-Hasa Al-Ahsa or Al-Hasa may refer to: * Al-Ahsa Eyalet, or Lahsa Eyalet, a subdivision of the Ottoman Empire, now part of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar * Al-Ahsa Oasis, an oasis and historical region in eastern Saudi Arabia. ** Al-Ahsa Governorate, a ...

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, ...

, after the tribe of Banu Hajar attacked a governmental caravan and stole a value of a million

rupees Rupee (, ) is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (as the Gulf rupee), British East Afr ...

from it; because the leaders of the tribe requested their salary, but the government didn't reply to them. al-Naqib ordered to raid a military camp of

Al Murrah The Al Murrah () (singular 'Al Marri') are an Arab tribe descended from the Banu Yam tribe. They mainly reside in countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain. Historically, the Al Murrah were a tribe of camel- ...

, who were responsible for the caravan attack, and took away their money and animals and put it on sale in Al Hufuf and finally, he ordered the other tribes to cut their deals with them, so the other tribes could take them as an example. He accomplished his mission of suppressing the tribal movements and restore peace and was given the special rank of

Bala Bala may refer to: Films * ''Bala'' (1976 film), an English-language dance documentary * ''Bala'' (2002 film), a Tamil-language action film * ''Bala'' (2019 film), a Hindi-language black comedy Life forms *Bala shark (''Balantiocheilos melano ...

. In 1903, Mansour bin Jum'a al-Kawakibi, a merchant from

Al-Qatif Qatif Governorate ( ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a list of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Damma ...

, sent a letter to Sultan

, telling him about what happened between him and al-Naqib: After a few days, al-Naqib was sacked from his job.

Ottoman politician

In 1903, al-Naqib returned to

to work in the civil department of the state consultative council until restoring the constitutional monarchy. He was elected in the first term, in the

1908 Ottoman general election General elections were held in November and December 1908 for all 288 seats of the Chamber of Deputies of the Ottoman Empire, following the Young Turk Revolution which established the Second Constitutional Era. They were the first elections cont ...

, as a representative of

in the

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...

, before re-electing him in the

1912 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1912. Asia * 1912 Chinese National Assembly election (first election for the newly founded National Assembly of the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China) * 1912 Philippine Assembly electio ...

and the 1914 elections. In 1909, he created the Free And Neutral Party. He, with the cooperation of Khaz'al al-Ka'bi and Mubarak Al-Sabah, also created a branch of the Freedom and Coalition Party in

, on August 6, 1911. The Constitution newspaper was the speaker of the party, which published its first issue on January 9, 1912. In the 1912 elections, the Freedom and Coalition party won two seats in the parliament. Because of the decentralized governance in the Ottoman Empire, after they clashed with the Arab political and cultural assemblies, al-Naqib canceled his party's branch in Basra,Al-Faidhi. p. 98 Because of his

Arab nationalism Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

beliefs. Ottomans tried to assassinate him via Fareed Bey and Nouri Bey, but al-Naqib prepared a number of armed insurgents that killed them first. He created the Reformist Assembly of Basra, which called for creating local councils for the Arab

Vilayet A vilayet (, "province"), also known by #Names, various other names, was a first-order administrative division of the later Ottoman Empire. It was introduced in the Vilayet Law of 21 January 1867, part of the Tanzimat reform movement initiated b ...

s, including the Basra Vilayet. Ottomans wanted to keep him away from politics, so, he was made the Vali of

in 1913, for a very short period. In the 1914 elections, al-Naqib increased his party's seats in the parliament by four, having 6 seats, which made him more confident to demand the rights of the Arabs.Al-Faidhi. p. 190

British mandate

When the British troops arrived at Basra, in 1914, al-Naqib was captured and exiled to Bombay (

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

); because of his objection on the British occupation. He stayed in his exile for five years, before coming back to Iraq and witnessing the 1920 Iraqi revolt. He didn't approve of the revolt; because he believed that political situations should be solved by peaceful solutions. He also believed that the best solution is to occupy

into

s, just like the Ottomans did. He was hoping to rule Basra or to rule Iraq. Therefore, he was against

Faisal I Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali Al-Hashemi (, ''Fayṣal al-Awwal bin Ḥusayn bin ʻAlī al-Hāshimī''; 20 May 1885 – 8 September 1933) was King of Iraq from 23 August 1921 until his death in 1933. A member of the Hashemites, Hashemite family, ...

, being the King of Iraq, with Khaz'al al-Ka'bi and

Arnold Wilson Sir Arnold Talbot Wilson (18 July 1884 – 31 May 1940) was a British soldier, colonial administrator, Conservative politician, writer and editor. Wilson served under Percy Cox, the colonial administrator of Mesopotamia ( Mandatory Iraq) dur ...

supporting al-Naqib. But his fame decreased when

Percy Cox Major-general (United Kingdom), Major-General Sir Percy Zachariah Cox, (20 November 1864 – 20 February 1937) was a British Indian Army officer and Colonial Office administrator in the Middle East. He was one of the major figures in the creati ...

became the British high commissioner of Iraq. al-Naqib was appointed as the

minister of interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...

Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gillani Qutb-ul Aqtaab Naqib Al Ashraaf Syed Abd ar-Rahman al-Qadri al-Gillani (; 11 January 1841 – 13 June 1927) was the first prime minister of Iraq. He was an important figure during the Ottoman and the British Eras, and he had an important role in ...

's acting government, but al-Naqib refused the office; because he thought that such secondary office would degrade his dignity, but he was convinced by

Gertrude Bell Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell (14 July 1868 – 12 July 1926) was an English writer, traveller, political officer, administrator, and archaeologist. She spent much of her life exploring and mapping the Middle East, and became highly inf ...

and

St John Philby Harry St John Bridger Philby, CIE (3 April 1885 – 30 September 1960), also known as Jack Philby or Sheikh Abdullah (), was a British Arabist, advisor, explorer, writer, and a colonial intelligence officer who served as an advisor to King A ...

as long as he would be the second man, after Al-Gillani. When al-Naqib wasn't invited to the

Cairo Conference Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, in 1921, he objected and threatened to make a rebellion, cooperating with the tribal leaders. So, he made a campaign tour in southern Iraq and the middle Euphrates region.Ireland; Al-Khayyat. p. 180 He made a banquet, celebrating

Perceval Landon Perceval Landon (1869–1927) was an English writer, traveller and journalist, now best remembered for his classic and much reprinted ghost story "Thurnley Abbey". Family Perceval Landon was born in Hastings on 29 March 1869. He was the son of ...

with some tribal leaders. He stood in the banquet and said: "''We don't like the people in the house of the mandate, because they are interfering in the nation's matters, which its people have the only right to order and own anything they want in it."'' This statement was copied from a person who attended the banquet, called Tod, to the secretary of the British accreditation house in Iraq,

. Bell checked the facts with foreign dignitaries, present at the event, and told Sir Cox about it, which led Lady Cox to invite al-Naqib for tea, on 16 April 1921. As he left Sir Percy had him arrested and exiled him to

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. St John Philby was set as the new minister of interior. After returning from exile, al-Naqib decided to retire from political work and avoid meeting any governmental person.Al-Omari. p. 40 He refused to meet King Faisal when he wanted to visit him, but after some interference, they met in 1925, and cleared the problems between them.

Death

Al-Naqib had health problems and traveled to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

for surgery, during which he died on July 16, 1929.

Family

Early life

Governor of Al-Hasa

Ottoman politician

British mandate

Death

See also

References

Further reading