Muhammad ibn Saud

"Imam" Muhammad ibn Saud (Arabic: محمد بن سعود ‎) (d. 1765) is considered the first head of the House of Saud, which is technically named for his father, Saud ibn Muhammed ibn Muqrin. The initial power base was the town of Ad-Dar'iyah, where he met Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab, who came to Saud for protection. Ibn Saud granted this and the two decided to work together to rid the Arabian peninsula of what they saw as innovations in the practice of Islam by bringing the religion back to its purest form. They formed an alliance, and this was formalized by the wedding of Ibn Saud's son to Ibn Abdul Wahhab's daughter.

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

Thus, Ibn Saud is considered the founder of the First Saudi State. 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. He ruled from 1744 till his death in 1765.

See also the Second Saudi State, a short-lived state that would give rise to modern Saudi Arabia.