Editing Muhammad bin Ladin

{{Short description|Saudi business magnate (1908–1967)}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Muhammad bin Ladin
| image              = Muhammad bin Ladin.jpg
| native_name        = {{lang|ar|مُحَمَّد بْنُ لَادِن}}
| birth_name         = Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin
| birth_date         = 1905
| birth_place        = [[Qu'aiti Sultanate|Qu'aiti]], [[Aden Protectorate]]<br />(present-day [[Yemen]])
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1967|09|3|1908|df=yes}}
| death_place        = Usran, [['Asir Province]], Saudi Arabia
| citizenship        = Saudi Arabia
| known_for          = Founder of [[Saudi Binladin Group]]
| spouse             = 22 wives
| children           = 52, including [[Osama bin Laden|Osama]], [[Salem bin Laden|Salem]], [[Bakr bin Laden|Bakr]], [[Tarek bin Laden|Tarek]] and [[Yeslam bin Ladin|Yeslam]]
}}
'''Muhammad bin Awad bin Ladin''' ({{langx|ar|مُحَمَّد بْنُ لَادِن|translit=Muḥammad bin Lādin}}; {{Circa|1905}} – 3 September 1967) was a Yemeni-born Saudi billionaire business magnate working primarily in the [[construction industry]]. He founded what is today the [[Saudi Binladin Group]] and became the wealthiest non-royal Saudi, establishing the wealth and prestige of the [[Bin Laden family|bin Ladin family]]. He is the father of [[Osama bin Laden]], who is most known for planning the [[September 11 attacks]].

== Life ==
Muhammad bin Ladin was born on the [[Hadhramaut|Hadramawt]] coast of south [[Yemen]] to Awad, a [[Kinda (tribe)|Kindite]] [[Hadhrami people|Hadrami]] tribesman from al-Rubat, a village in Wadi Doan. His year of birth is often given as 1905, although this is an approximation at best, as no central government had solidified control over the area at the time and no birth registry existed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coll |first1=Steve |title=The Bin Ladens: Oil, Money, Terrorism and the Secret Saudi World |date=5 March 2009 |publisher=Penguin Books Limited |isbn=978-0-14-191778-8 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZCS3aIepU0sC |language=en}}</ref> Muhammad's paternal grandfather was Abud, the son of Ali, one of four brothers (the others being Ahmad, Mansur, and Zayd) from whom the four [[bin Laden family|Banu Laden]] clans trace their ancestry.

Poor and uneducated, his family emigrated to [[Tihamah]] before [[World War I]]. According to [[Eric Margolis (journalist)|Eric Margolis]], he initially worked as a porter in [[Jeddah]], like many other impoverished Yemenite emigrants of that time.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Margolis |first1=Eric S. |title=War at the Top of the World: The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir and Tibet |date=2002 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781136743825 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jHwSEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22mohammed+bin+laden%22+jeddah&pg=PT98 |access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref> However, [[Salon.com]] reports that his first job was as a bricklayer with [[Aramco]].<ref name=saud>{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Jason |title=The making of Osama bin Laden |url=https://www.salon.com/2001/11/01/osama_profile/ |access-date=17 August 2021 |work=salon.com |date=November 1, 2001}}</ref> In 1931, he started his own construction business and after coming to the attention of [[Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia|Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud]], the first monarch of [[Saudi Arabia]], he eventually achieved such success that his family became known as "the wealthiest non-royal family in the kingdom."

Muhammad bin Ladin strategically built strong ties with the Saudi royal family by actively participating in King [[Ibn Saud|Abdel Aziz]]'s public meetings. Recognizing the aging king's mobility challenges, Muhammad took the initiative to construct a ramp at the palace in [[Jeddah]], allowing the monarch to easily move between the floors in his car.<ref name="Simon and Schuster">{{cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter L. |title=The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden |date=2 August 2022 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-7053-0 |page=9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anp5EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref>

Muhammad's remarkable financial success was ascribed to a shrewd business sense, [[fealty]] to Saudi Arabia's rulers, reliability, and a willingness to offer the lowest bid on construction contracts. By undercutting local construction firms, he had become a multi-millionaire by the 1940s. He cultivated a sizable workforce involved in projects across Saudi Arabia. In 1948, Muhammad scored a major breakthrough by securing a commission to build a palace for the future [[Saud of Saudi Arabia|King Saud]]. In the early 1950s, when a British company withdrew from a contract to construct a crucial road from Jeddah to [[Medina]], Muhammad stepped in to fill the void, solidifying his role as a key player in Saudi Arabia's construction landscape.<ref name=saud /><ref name="Simon and Schuster"/><ref>{{cite book |last1=Woolf |first1=Alex |title=Osama Bin Laden |date=1 January 2004 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=978-0-8225-5003-7 |pages=14–16 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ItdH79_rSMC |language=en}}</ref>

As the "royal builder," Muhammad bin Ladin maintained close relationships with the royal family, particularly [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|Prince Faisal]] of Saudi Arabia. In 1964, Prince Faisal deposed his half-brother, [[Saud of Saudi Arabia|King Saud]], and began rebuilding the kingdom after the wasteful excesses of the Saud era. King Faisal accepted Muhammad bin Ladin's offer of financial assistance to support the national economy and as a reward, King Faisal issued a royal decree awarding all future construction projects to Muhammad bin Ladin's construction company. As a result, bin Laden's company eventually amassed assets in excess of US$5 billion.
He made his initial fortune from exclusive rights to all mosque and other religious building construction in Saudi Arabia and several other Arab countries. Until 1967, Muhammad bin Ladin held exclusive responsibility for restorations at the [[Qibli Mosque|Jami Al-Aqsa]] in [[Jerusalem]].

Despite his royal associations and great wealth, Muhammad bin Ladin lived a relatively simple and devout life, demanding that his children observe a strict religious and moral code. In his later years, the bin Laden corporate network diversified its activities beyond construction, largely in foreign investment and oil.

== Religion ==

He was reportedly raised as a [[Wahhabi]] Muslim, noted for his religious devotion and boasted that he could fly by private helicopter to pray at [[Mecca]], [[Medina]] and [[Temple Mount|al-Aqsa]] (in [[Jerusalem]]) in the same day.<ref name=saud/>

== Wives and children ==

He fathered a total of 52 children<ref>{{cite news |title=Osama Bin Laden: PROFILE |url=https://edition.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/people/shows/binladen/timeline.html |access-date=2 August 2021 |agency=[[CNN]]}}</ref> by 22 wives.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Atkins |first1=Stephen |title=Encyclopedia of Modern Worldwide Extremists and Extremist Groups |date=2004 |page=49 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9780313324857 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8k4rEPvq_8C&dq=mohammed+bin+laden+11+wives&pg=PA49 |access-date=17 August 2021}}</ref> He had three wives who mostly remained the same, but would divorce and frequently change his fourth wife.<ref name=saud /> This practice kept within the bounds of [[Polygyny in Islam|Islamic guidance of polygyny]], which permits men to have up to four wives at one time.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Stephanie |date=2020-12-07 |title=Polygamy is rare around the world and mostly confined to a few regions |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/12/07/polygamy-is-rare-around-the-world-and-mostly-confined-to-a-few-regions/ |access-date=2024-11-23 |website=Pew Research Center |language=en-US}}</ref>

His widely-known son is the founder of [[al-Qaeda]], [[Usama bin Ladin|Osama bin Ladin]] ({{langx|ar|أسا‌مة بن لا‌د‌ن }}), although the two seldom saw each other and only once had a one-on-one meeting together.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bergen |first1=Peter L. |title=The Rise and Fall of Osama Bin Laden |date=2 August 2022 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-9821-7053-0 |page=11 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=anp5EAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> Osama's mother, [[Hamida al-Attas]], ({{langx|ar|حميدة العطاس}}) was born and raised in Syria before marrying Muhammad bin Ladin and moving to Saudi Arabia. She was non-traditional, known more for wearing [[Chanel]] trouser suits rather than the veiled, conservative attire typical of Saudi women. She was neither Wahhabi nor Saudi, and her foreign origin diminished her status within the conservative Saudi family where she became known as "the slave wife".  

According to [[Carmen bin Ladin]], Muhammad was planning to wed a 23rd wife the night he died, and was heading there when his plane crashed.<ref name=CBLpp65-66>{{Citation
|last=Bin Laden
|first=Carmen
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xPn-MbYyId8C
|title=Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia
|publisher=Hachette Book Group
|year=2005
|isbn=0-446-61694-X
|pages=65–66}}</ref>

== Death ==
On 3 September 1967, Muhammad bin Ladin was killed when his airplane, a [[Beechcraft]] [[Beechcraft Model 18|G18S]], crashed during landing in Usran, 'Asir Province, in southwest Saudi Arabia.<ref>The Bin Ladens – Steve Coll (Penguin, 2008), pp. 118–120.</ref> Following the crash, Muhammad's body was carefully retrieved and prepared for burial.

At dawn the next day, a somber procession conveyed his body from the palace to a family plot in a nearby cemetery. The news of his passing brought profound sadness, as Muhammad was highly esteemed both within the bin Ladin family and amongst the people of [[Jeddah]]. The funeral procession drew an immense crowd, with nearly ten thousand people lining the route to the cemetery. King [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|Faisal]], deeply affected by the loss, was a close friend of Muhammad. After the funeral, King Faisal met with the bin Ladin family and informed the children that he was placing them under royal protection. He assured them that they would receive their fair share of the inheritance when they reached the age of 21. With the loss of Muhammad as their unifying figure, Muhammad's many wives, ex-wives, and children began to disperse to different parts of the kingdom, although they still maintained their family connection with the [[Saudi Binladin Group]]. Muhammad's eldest son, [[Salem bin Laden|Salem bin Ladin]], took over the family business and eventually expanded it into an international company.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Woolf |first1=Alex |title=Osama Bin Laden |date=1 January 2004 |publisher=Twenty-First Century Books |isbn=978-0-8225-5003-7 |pages=24–25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_ItdH79_rSMC |language=en}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Following Muhammad bin Ladin's death, his eldest sons, principally [[Salem bin Laden]], renamed the organization, "Binladen Brothers for Contracting and Industry" and continued to expand their late father's company until it employed more than 40,000 people. Salem bin Laden died in the United States in 1988 when his ultralight aircraft collided with power lines.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|title = Rags to riches story of the bin Laden family is woven with tragedy|url = https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/01/rags-to-riches-story-of-the-bin-laden-family-is-woven-with-tragedy|website = the Guardian|access-date = 2015-10-06|first = Jason|last = Burke| date=August 2015 }}</ref> Many members of the bin Ladin family have moved away from Saudi Arabia and settled in Europe and the US.<ref name=":0" />

In May 1990, the company was renamed the Saudi Binladin Group under the leadership of [[Bakr bin Laden]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden|url = http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=mohammed_bin_awad_bin_laden_1|website = www.historycommons.org|access-date = 2015-10-06|archive-date = 2017-04-15|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170415060651/http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=mohammed_bin_awad_bin_laden_1|url-status = dead}}</ref> The [[Saudi Binladin Group]] as it is now known, is involved in construction, engineering, manufacturing, and telecommunications. Construction projects include airports, housing complexes, tunnels, and bridges. The group is also involved in city planning and real estate development. The Saudi Binladin Group is Egypt's largest private foreign company and negotiated with the Lebanese government to rebuild part of central Beirut under a US $50 million contract.

In 2009, the bin Ladin family was listed as the 5th wealthiest Saudi family by [[Forbes|Forbes magazine]], with a reported net worth of $7 billion.<ref>{{Cite web|title = The Five Richest Saudis|url = https://blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2009/08/31/the-five-richest-saudis/|website = WSJ Blogs - The Wealth Report|date = 2009-08-31|access-date = 2015-10-06}}</ref>

Muhammad bin Ladin is portrayed by [[Tim Seyfi]] in the 2019 [[OCS (television)|OCS]]/[[Netflix]] miniseries ''[[The Spy (TV miniseries)|The Spy]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sacha Baron Cohen triumphs as Eli Cohen in Netflix's The Spy |url=https://www.jpost.com/international/sacha-baron-cohen-triumphs-as-eli-cohen-in-netflixs-the-spy-600322 |website=[[Jerusalem Post]] |access-date=12 September 2023 |date=2 September 2019|author-first1=Hannah|author-last1=Brown}}</ref>

== Descendants ==
[[Bin Laden family|Muhammad bin Ladin's sons]]:
# [[Salem bin Laden|Salem bin Ladin]] (1946–1988) ''married'' Caroline Carey
# Ali bin Ladin
# Thabet bin Ladin (d. 2009)
# Mahrous bin Ladin
# Hassan bin Ladin
# [[Bakr bin Laden]]
# Khalid bin Ladin
# [[Yeslam bin Ladin]] (born 1950) ''married'' [[Carmen Dufour]] (born 1954)
## Wafah Dufour (born 1978)
## Najia Dufour (born 1979)
## Noor Dufour (born 1987)
# Ghalib bin Ladin
# Yahya bin Ladin
# Abd al-Aziz bin Ladin
# Isa bin Ladin
# [[Tarek bin Laden|Tarek bin Ladin]]
# Ahmed bin Ladin
# Ibrahim bin Ladin
# [[Shafiq bin Laden|Shafiq bin Ladin]]
# [[Osama bin Ladin]] (1957–2011) ''married'' [[Najwa Ghanem]] (born 1960)
# Khalil bin Ladin
# Saleh bin Ladin
# Haydar bin Ladin
# Saad bin Ladin
# Abdullah bin Ladin
# Yasser bin Ladin
# Muhammad bin Ladin (born 1967)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

* {{Cite book |last=Coll |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Coll |title=The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century |date=31 March 2009 |publisher=[[Penguin Books]] |isbn=978-0143114819 |location=New York}}
{{Osama bin Laden}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:bin Awad bin Laden, Mohammed}}
[[Category:20th-century Saudi Arabian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian billionaires|Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden]]
[[Category:1900s births]]
[[Category:1967 deaths]]
[[Category:Bin Laden family|Mohammed]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1967]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Saudi Arabia]]
[[Category:Yemeni emigrants to Saudi Arabia]]