Sheikh Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Latif Al ash-Sheikh (1848-1921) was a leading Sunni Muslim scholar in Saudi Arabia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and was the grandfather of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Faisal of Saudi Arabia

Faisal bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1964 to 1975. As king, he is credited with rescuing the country's finances and implementing a policy of modernization and reform, while his main foreign policy themes were pan-Islamic Nationalism, anti-Communism, and pro-Palestinian...

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Background

Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al ash-Sheikh was born in 1848 into the noted family of Saudi religious scholars, 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...

, descendants of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab.

Career

Abd Allah bin Abd al-Latif was the leader of the Saudi ulema

Ulema

Ulama , also spelt ulema, refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. They are best known as the arbiters of shari‘a law...

 at the end of the 19th century. In 1892, the Saudi state was destroyed by their rivals, the Al Rashid of Ha'il

Ha'il

Ha'il , also spelled Hail, Ha'yel, or Hayil, is an oasis city in Nejd in northwestern Saudi Arabia. It is the capital of the Ha'il Province. The city has a population of 356,876 according to Ha'il Province....

 and the Saudi leadership went into exile. Rather than going into exile as well, Abd Allah bin Abd al-Latif sided with the Al-Rashid and moved to Ha'il. The Al Saud returned from exile in 1902 under the leadership of Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia

King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....

 (later Saudi Arabia's first King) and re-established the Saudi state around 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...

. Abd Allah bin Abd al-Latif then changed sides again and re-joined the Al Saud, a change of heart which was accepted by Abdul Aziz.

Abd Allah bin Abd al-Latif remained as leader of the Saudi religious establishment until his death in 1921.

Relationship with Saudi Royal family

In 1902, his daughter, Tarfa bint Abdullah married Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Their son, Faisal, later became King of Saudi Arabia. Tarfa died in 1912.