'Administration Reports 1925-1930' [‎69r] (142/418)

37
T he E xiling F amily.
On the 29th June a son was horn to His Excellency Shaikh Ahmadal-
Jabir as -Suhah, Ruler of Kuwait, by his cousin, a daughter of the
late Shaikh Salim. Although they have been married for many years, this
is the first son—and second child—born to them. The child has been named
Jabir.
Shaikh Jabir as-Subah, a brother of the late Shaikh Mubarak, died on
the 24th September.
The Shaikh visited Basrah by motor car on the 7th June, returning on
the 9th June. On the 27th August he proceeded to Eao by launch to visit
his estates on the Shatt al-'Arab, and returned on the 6th September. On
both occasions Shaikh Hamad al-Mubarak officiated for him during his
absence.
najd,
1. The affairs of Najd naturally affect Kuwait very closely. On the 8th
January the Sultan, Ibn Sa'ud, was elected King of the Hijaz. He declared
however that the administration of it would be kept quite distinct from that
of jSajd.
2. Soon after the fall of Jiddah at the end of 1925 many of the Ikhwan
leaders returned to Najd. Some were bitterly disappointed that the Hijaz
campaign had not offered better opportunities for amassing plunder. Notable
amongst these was Eaisal ad-Dawish, the paramount shaikh of the Mutair
tribe. No sooner had he arrived at Artawiyah, his headquarters, then he
summoned his followers to prepare for a big raid against 'Iraq. Before he
had time to set out, however, he received definite orders from Ibn Sa'ud
forbidding him to proceed, and reluctantly disbanded his men. Ibn Eubai'an
and Ibn^Shuqair also wanted to raid 'Iraq and Kuwait territory but were
also forbidden.
3. In April Faisal ad-Dawish visited Sultan bin Humaid at Ghatghat.
From there an invitation was sent to Dhaidan al-Hithlain of the 'Ajman,
who joined them shortly afterwards. They then apparently took an oath
binding themselves together for mutual support in the event of Ibn Sa'ud
wishing to take punitive action against any of them. In the latter part of
the year there was much talk about the strained relations between Ibn Sa'ud
and the leaders of the Ikhwan, particularly the three mentioned above, who
were much dissatisfied with Ibn Sa'ud's idea of organizing a civilized govern
ment in the Hijaz and his prohibiting them from raiding across the frontier.
One of their arguments was that if, as they maintain, the people of Kuwait,
'Iraq, etc., are not true Muslims, they ought to be allowed to fight against
them; if, on the other hand, Ibn Sa'ud prohibits them from doing so, and
says they are not enemies, he has no right to prevent them from trading with
^ em — as he still does in the case of Kuwait. A meeting of protest was
apparently held in Artawiyah, and a deputation sent to Ibn Sa'ud, who sent
back word that if they had any complaints they should meet him and discuss
them when he came to Najd.
4. During the last two months of the year there were constant rumours
that Ibn Sa'ud was shortly arriving at Qasim, where the meeting was expec
ted to be held. The Shaikh of Kuwait wrote to him, saying that if he was
making a long enough stay in Najd he would like to come and visit him, and
asking him if this would be convenient, and if so where. His messengers
went first to Qasim, where it was expected they would meet Ibn Sa'ud, but
as he was still in Madinah they went on there. They arrived back in Kuwait
on the 29th December, and said that when they left Madinah on the 6th,
Ibn Sa'ud was expected to be leaving for Qasim via Hail almost immediately,
and that a motor road was being prepared. In his letter to the Shaikh,
however, Ibn Sa'ud said that at the moment he was occupied with certain
negotiations with the British Government, but that when they were over, he
purposed going to Eiyadh direct, and that he hoped to have the pleasure of
seeing him before long either there, or in Kuwait, or on the Pilgrimage.