Saud bin Muhammad Al Muqrin (Arabic: سعود بن محمد آل مقرن Suʿūd ibn Muḥammad Āl Muqrin; 1640–1726) was the eponymous ancestor of the House of Saud, otherwise known as the al-Saud.^[1][2]

Ancestry

Saud was descended from the Al Muqrin family, whose earliest recorded ancestor was Mani' bin Rabiah Al Muraydi who settled in Diriyah in 1446–1447 with his clan, the Mrudah.^[3] The Mrudah are believed to be descended from the Banu Hanifa branch of the Rabi'ah tribal confederation ^{[3][clarification needed]}.

The Al Saud originated as a leading family in a town called Diriyah, close to the modern city of Riyadh, near the center of Najd. Sometime in the early 16th century, ancestors of Saud bin Muhammad took over some date groves, one of the few forms of agriculture the area could support, and settled there. Over time, the groves grew into a small town, and the clan came to be recognized as its leaders.^[4]

Descendants

Saud had several sons: Muhammad,^[5] Thunayyan,^[6] Mishari, and Farhan.^[7]

Saud died in 1726 and was succeeded by his son Muhammad.^[5] One of Saud's brothers, Muqrin, was killed by Muhammad bin Saud, which caused an intrafamilial struggle and therefore, Zaid bin Farhan ('son of Farhan') found an opportunity to control the rule of Diriyah.^[8]

Two decades after Saud's death, his son Muhammad bin Saud made his historic pact with Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab, leading to their conquest of Arabia and the establishments of the First Saudi State.^[9] Sheikh Muhammad's patronymic "Ibn Saud" eventually^[when?] gave the clan its name of Al Saud.