• Abdul Aziz
  Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud
  SaudImam Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud was the second ruler of the First Saudi State and son of Muhammad bin Saud. He was also the son-in-law of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. He ruled from 1765 until 1803.-Kingship:...
  
  
• Faysal
• Saud
• Ali
• Abdallah

Muhammad ibn Saud (d. 1765), also known as Ibn Saud, was the emir of Al-Dir'iyyah and is considered the founder of the first Saudi dynasty

First Saudi State

The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 when imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince Muhammad ibn Saud formed an alliance to establish a religious & political sovereignty determined to cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of heretical practices and deviations from orthodox Islam...

, which is technically named for his father – Saud ibn Muhammad ibn Migrin. Ibn Saud's family (then known as the Al Migrin) traced its descent to the tribe of 'Anizzah but, despite popular misconceptions, Ibn Saud was neither a nomadic

Nomadic pastoralism

Nomadic pastoralism is a form of agriculture where livestock are herded in order to find fresh pastures on which to graze following an irregular pattern of movement - in contrast with transhumance where seasonal pastures are fix. The herded livestock may include cattle, yaks, sheep, goats,...

 bedouin

Bedouin

The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...

 nor was he a tribal leader. Rather, he was the chief (emir) of an agricultural settlement near modern-day Riyadh

Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...

.

Alliance with Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab

The initial power base was the town of Ad-Dar'iyah

Diriyah

Al-Diriyah is a town in Saudi Arabia located on the northwestern outskirts of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Diriyah was the original home of the Saudi royal family, and served as the capital of the first Saudi dynasty from 1744 to 1818...

, where he met Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, who came to Ibn Saud for protection. Muhammad ibn Saud granted this and the two decided to work together to implement Ibn Abdel Wahhab's ideas of purifying Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 from innovations (heresies) in the practice of Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

 by bringing the religion back to its purest form. They formed an alliance in 1744 which was formalized by the wedding of Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab's daughter to Abdul Aziz

Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud

SaudImam Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud was the second ruler of the First Saudi State and son of Muhammad bin Saud. He was also the son-in-law of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. He ruled from 1765 until 1803.-Kingship:...

, son and successor of Ibn Saud. Thereafter, the descendants of Muhammad bin Saud and the descendants of bin Abdul-Wahhab, the Al ash-Sheikh

Al ash-Sheikh

The Al ash-SheikhIt is incorrect to use the term the Al ash-Sheikh family as the word Al already means family. See Etymology. It would, in theory, be correct to use the term House of the Sheikh, but, unlike House of Saud, in practice this is rarely done...

, have remained closely linked.

Using the ideology of Ibn Al-Wahhab, Ibn Saud helped establish the House of Saud among other forces in the Arabian peninsula. The use of religion as a basis for legitimacy differentiated the House of Saud from neighboring clans and built support.

First Saudi State

Thus, Ibn Saud is considered the founder of what later became known as the First Saudi State

First Saudi State

The First Saudi State was established in the year 1744 when imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Prince Muhammad ibn Saud formed an alliance to establish a religious & political sovereignty determined to cleanse the Arabian Peninsula of heretical practices and deviations from orthodox Islam...

. The way he set up his government has served as model for rulers of the House of Saud until the present day. The government was based on Islamic principles and made use of shura

Shura

Shura is an Arabic word for "consultation". The Quran and Muhammad encourage Muslims to decide their affairs in consultation with those who will be affected by that decision....

. He ruled until his death in 1765.