Wahhabis.Com | Imam Abd Al-Aziz Bin Muhammad Bin Sa'ud (d. 1179H) Was Murdered by a Raafidee Shi'ah Whilst in Prostration During Asr Prayer

The Imaam Abd al-Azeez bin Muhammad bin Sa'ud is the son of the leader of Dir'iyyah (Muhammad bin Sa'ud) with whom Shaykh Ibn Abd al-Wahhab made an alliance. Abd al-Azeez took over the leadership in 1179H after the death of his father, and he established the call to monotheism. He was described by Ibn Ghannaam al-Ahsaa'ee as a righteous man, fearful of Allaah, plentiful in dhikr, kind and merciful to his subjects, and he would not leave the mosque after the Fajr prayer until the sun had risen and he would prayer the forenoon (al-Duhaa prayer). He was very charitable to his subjects. He also sent many letters and short treatises to the scholars, judges and leaders, many of which are in print version and which will be presented in other articles inshaa'Allaah.

What concerns us in this article is his death. He died in the year 1218H on Monday, 22nd of Rajab at the hands of a Raafidee (Shi'ite) who was from the town of al-Imaadiyyah in Iraq. Imaam Abd al-Azeez was in prostration in the well-known mosque of al-Tarif in al-Dir'iyyah. Lutf Allaah Jihaaf writes in his book (Durar Nuhoor al-Hoor al-Ayn Bi Seerah al-Imaam al-Mansur, Sanaa, Yemen, 1st edition, p. 838):

That which has been transmitted to us regarding the killing of Abd al-Aziz is that a man from the foreigners, from the (area of the) mash.had (tomb) of al-Husayn reached al-Dir'iyyah, and began lying in wait for the activities of Abd al-Azeez and he used to wait in ambush, for an opportunity to kill him using deception, but he was not able to. Then eventually, he came close to the place in which he (Abd al-Azeez) would pray in the mosque, and prayed besides him during the Asr (afternoon) prayer. While he (Abd al-Azeez) was in prostration, he (the Raafidee) took out a knife and plunged it into him, and so he died ...

Notes

This enmity from the Raafidah was because the Monotheistic call was opposed to their polytheistic practices of worshipping the saints and worshipping their graves and tombs and calling upon them for rescue from calamity and making offerings and presentations to them to elicit benefit or repel harm.
The enmity towards the monotheistic reform da'wah came from the Raafidee Shi'ah and the Sufis, which on a political level are represented in the Ottoman state that was Hanafi Maturidi Sufi and the Raafidee Shi'ah state (present day Iraan). There is a strong connection between the Shi'ites and the extreme Sufis' as it relates to aspects of their religious practices. Attachment to the graves and taking of saints for worship besides Allaah was historically transferred from the Shi'ites to the Sufis. This is beyond the scope of this article and will be covered elsewhere (TawhidFirst.Com) inshaa'Allaah.

Related reading of interest:

Between Fakhr al-Din al-Razi (d. 606H) and Abdul-Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud (d. 1218H) on Seeking Shafaa'ah From Other Than Allaah - (see here).