Source - Fahda Bint Saud
Imam Abdul Rahman Bin Faisal Bin Tirki Al Saud, the father of King AbdulAziz, was brought up in Najd, more precisely, in the city of Riyadh the homeland of his forefathers, which symbolizes the heart of Najd. The life of Imam Abdul Rahman represents a link between the second Saudi state, which lasted until (1891) and the third Saudi state in (1902). He lived during two periods where each one witnessed strained world tribulations both on the regional and domestic fronts. During that time the Arabian Peninsula was partitioned and ruled by local Sheikhs, and belligerent tribes who were continuously engaged in battles against each other. Moreover, these local Sheikhs were trying to regain their independence from the Ottomans who ruled the Arab world over a period of four centuries, at a time when the Ottoman Empire was weakening due to the rise of the influence of the British Empire in the region which was preparing for further expansion and control over the most important strategic regions in the world, which is, the Arab world that links the East and the West. Some of the regions of the Arabian Peninsula like Hail, AI Qassim, and Al Hejaz, were still under the Ottoman rule. In addition, some sheikdoms in the Gulf were still under the British rule. As for the center of the Arabian Peninsula, it was still out of the reach of the political greed of these powers in the region because it was poor and far from the scene of events and the centers of the struggling powers.
Imam Abdul Rahman who was the youngest among his siblings and who was forty years at that time saw that he was the head of the family Riyadh after the death of his brother Al Imam Abdullah Bin Faisal in the year (1890). So he wrote a letter to Prince Muhammad Al Rashid, the Amir of the Sham mar tribe and the ruler of Hail, and asked him to dismiss his representative Fahd Bin Rakhis because of his mistreatment of the people of Al Riyadh, without mentioning the name of a substitute. As a result, Muhammad Bin Al Rashid appointed Salem Al Sabhan who was notorious for being aggressive. Imam Abdul Rahman had a premonition that this new appointment was a bad unexpected development and he anticipated trouble. So, he tried to arrest Salem Al Sabhan on the greater Bairam festival but he failed to do so because Al Sabhan ran away and in other sources it was mentioned that Al Sabhan was arrested, and then released after further negotiations.
The people of Al Qassim revolted against the current situation and asked Imam Abdul Rahman to supply them with military ammunition in exchange for their allegiance to him. But Muhammad Bin Al Rashid besieged Riyadh for forty days after which peace was made and normal conditions were restored the city. Great efforts were exerted to reach this settlement between the two factions where Abdulaziz Bin Al Imam Abdul Rahman participated next to his father in his first political role in reaching this settlement. However, this settlement did not last long and Al Imam Abdul Rahman made several attempts to assemble his forces with great difficulties, which prevented him from fighting against Bin Al Rashid especially after he had heard the news about the failure of the people of Al Qassim in their rebellion against Al Rashid and their defeat in the battle of Al Malida in the year (1891). Abdul Al Rahman couldn't participate in this battle and so he was obliged to leave Riyadh with his family.
He took with him his son Abdul Aziz who was ten years old at that time and left his brother Muhammad in Riyadh.
while he was waiting for a reply from Sheikh Issa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, the ruler of Bahrain, to give him the permission to leave his family with him, he stayed in the desert on the east side of the Arabian Peninsula watching the events unfolding. Afterwards, he won the ruler's approval through the intervention of Hafez Bacha the ottoman provincial governor, whereby he was allowed to stay wherever he wished in the regions under the Ottoman control. So, he chose to stay in Kuwait after his first request had been refused. The Ottomans gave him also a monthly financial aid. [1] Imam Abdul Rahman chose Kuwait because it was the best place to observe the events and the political developments in Najd and its neighboring regions. Kuwait was at that time an emirate under the rule of Sheikh Muhammad Al Sabah who was killed with his brother Jarah by their brother Mubarak in the year (1894). [2]
Subsequently, Muhammad Bin Al Rashid passed away in (1897) and his nephew Abdul Aziz Bin Mitaab Al Rashid took over. The Al Saud family faced difficult circumstances in their exile in Kuwait away from their ancestral home, the son Abdulaziz was born in Riyadh (1880) ,and left his home town at the age of ten , grew up while accompanying his father in his wanderings in exile, enduring hardship starting from the period "When he first stayed with the Murra tribes in the desert till his settlement in Kuwait, which was relatively open to the foreign trafficking at that time.
However, his settlement in Kuwait kept him away from Najd, the native soil of his family and ancestors and the dwelling of their glory.
During that period, the circumstances did not change; they have become rather more complex. Consequently, the conflicts increased because of the desire of Al Rashid and the Ottoman Authorities to take control over the center of the Arabian Peninsula and also because of the attempts of Great Britain to form an alliance with the most powerful rulers in order to achieve its political objectives.
Abdulaziz observed all these events but he and his father were incapable of going back to their country, and their attempt in the year (1901) to restore power failed due to lack of funds and the power of Al Rashid in the region.
However, the determination of Abdul Aziz to recapture Riyadh and revive the glory of his forefathers motivated him to make another attempt with his notable relatives from Al Saud who has dreamt with him of going back to their fatherland and who have followed him till their goal became accessible .Finally , their dream came true and they recaptured Riyadh in the year (1902).