His Name, Birth, and Upbringing
He is the devout, ascetic, God‑fearing, and tearful worshipper — the preacher and ascetic of Makkah, the remaining example of the righteous early generations — Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Hasan ibn Sultan ibn Sa‘id al‑Najdi, later al‑Makki. He was born in the year 1322 AH, and he grew up in a family known for piety, worship, and love of knowledge.
His grandfather, Abdullah ibn Hasan, was among the seekers of knowledge and the righteous; he was one of the students of Shaykh Husayn ibn ‘Ali ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al‑Wahhab, may God have mercy on them all.
His father, Ahmad ibn Abdullah ibn Sa‘id, was born in Riyadh in 1275 AH. He was known for his piety, devotion, love of knowledge, and his encouragement of it. He was committed to enjoining good and forbidding wrong. He was a memorizer of the Qur’an, renowned for the beauty of his voice and his mastery of Qur’anic recitation. He led the people in Ramadan for the Tarawih and Qiyam prayers, and with his beautiful recitation he would complete three full readings of the Qur’an with the congregation during Ramadan. He was also known for his courage, generosity, trustworthiness, and piety.
He participated with King ‘Abd al‑Aziz in many expeditions during the early part of his life. The King would take him along on some of his journeys so that he could listen to the sweetness and beauty of his Qur’anic recitation. Because of his integrity and piety, King ‘Abd al‑Aziz entrusted him with several responsibilities, the most important of which were serving in the Emirate of al‑Madinah al‑Nabawiyyah, then in the Emirate of al‑Ta’if, and later overseeing the Bayt al‑Mal of the Hijaz in the administration of zakat collection. After that, he devoted the remainder of his life to worship until he passed away in Riyadh in 1349 AH.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Sa‘id was deeply influenced by his father, who raised him upon obedience to God, memorization of the Qur’an, and the pursuit of knowledge. His father would say to him: “O Muhammad, I will take care of your livelihood; what matters is that you seek knowledge and remain close to the scholars.” My teacher Muhammad ibn Sa‘id himself narrated this to me.
The Shaykh was also influenced by his maternal uncles, who were known for their devotion and righteousness. Two of them passed away while in prostration to God — what a beautiful ending.