Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd

Muḥammad ibn Saud was an 18th-century Arabian chief who founded the first Saudi state. He formed an alliance with the religious reformer Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb, whose puritanical Islamic doctrines sought a return to the practices of Islam's early followers. This alliance allowed Muhammad ibn Saud to expand his rule through military conquest, eventually controlling much of Arabia.123

The first Saudi state flourished until the early 19th century when it was brought to an end by Egyptian forces. The Saud dynasty, however, was reestablished and continued to play a significant role in the region, ultimately leading to the formation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 by Ibn Saud, a descendant of Muhammad ibn Saud.14