Al-Khaldi

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Al-Khaldi (Arabic: الخالدي) is the last name given to members of the tribe of Bani Khalid. The family descends from Khalid ibn al-Walid senior companion of the Prophet Muhammad, and esteemed General who was crucial in the Islamic Conquest of Persia and Syria. After Khalid died in Homs, Syria his descendants scattered throughout the Islamic World, stretching from Spain to India. Nowadays they are highly concentrated in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, as well as the Gaza Strip, and Irbid, Jordan.

History[]

Early Caliphate[]

Khalid ibn al-Walid's son Abdul-Rahman ibn Khalid was very popular throughout the Islamic World and was desired by most people to be the next Caliph. Abdul Rahman had fought on Muawiya bin Abu Sufyan's side during the First Fitna, his brother "al-Muhajir" had fought on Ali's side and was killed. Abdulrahman was poisoned however, his son Khalid had accused Muawiya of the deed, no proof was ever produced however. After the death of Abdul-Rahman's son, the Khalidis disappeared from politics, which lead many Arab genealogists to falsely believe that Khalid's no longer had any progeny. Many members of the family had adopted ascetic lives and embraced Theology. In Aleppo, the Khaldi family had become Sufis practicing the tariqa of Abdul-Qadir Gilani. This line produced many poets and scholars, yet they also soon disappeared from Public eyes.

Mamluk Period[]

The Khalidis rose to prominence once again during the Crusades. After the Fall of Jerusalem to Salah ad-Din al-Ayyoubi, the city was repopulated by Arabs. Particularly the Khalidis and the Husseinis. The Husseinis, like the Khalidis descended from the Arab Tribe of Quraysh, unlike the Khalidis, the Husseinis descended from Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. Both families inhabited Jerusalem tell the modern day, at times, especially during the Ottoman Period they became political rivals. It was during the Mamluk rule in Egypt that the families became social leaders and the Office Mufti of Jerusalem had virtually been in the hands of one family or the other since their arrival.

Ottoman Period[]

After the fall of Egypt to the Ottomans in 1517, the Khaldi family publicly displayed their loyalty to the Ottoman Royal Family. This loyalty had earned them trust and land. The Eastern Coast of the Arabian Peninsula was granted as a viceroyalty to a branch of the Khaldi family called the Jabrids. Their domain stretched from Basra in South Iraq till the Southern Coasts of Oman. Their rule was challenged however by Portuguese pirates who had been terrorizing the Arabian coasts since Vasco de Gama's first voyage to India. The Khaldis however were able to keep control of their land. One of the Jabrid Emirs, Al-Uray'ir, had built a large fortress in Kuwait meant to keep the Portuguese ships at bay. There rule remained unchallenged for two centuries, until the birth of a particularly notorious figure, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab. Born in the Jabrid domain, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab was a strict Islamic cleric and had, without legal permission, stoned a woman for adultery. The contemporary Emir was furious with this man who was granting himself the liberty to execute people without any permission by the State. The Emir expelled Ibn AbdulWahhab to the central Arabian Peninsula, known as Nejd. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab had met with Muhammad ibn Saud the Emir of a small nation called the Emirate of Diriyah. Ibn Saud married his daughter to the cleric and gave him the highest religious authority in his small nation. Together they had plotted against the Ottomans and their vassals in Arabia. The Saudis were quick to annex the Jabrid Emirate, as they had support from the Portuguese blockades. When Napoleon invaded Egypt, the Ottomans were far too busy fighting him to be able to help the Jabrids. The Saudis annexed the Western Coast of Arabia, the Hejaz containing the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. The Saudis executed the Muftis of the holy cities, as they were considered heretical to the doctrine of Ibn Abdul Wahhab. The Emirate of Diriyah, now encompassing most of Arabia, was short lived. After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of the Nile he abandoned his army and escaped to France. The Egyptian province or Eyalet was now much stronger under the command of Albanian-Ottoman general Muhammad Ali Pasha. Under command of Sultan Mahmud II, Muhammad Ali Pasha's armies swept through Arabia destroying the Saudi realm and restoring both the Hejaz and Jabrid emirates. The Saudi Ruler and his followers were beheaded for their crimes against the holy cities. The second Jabrids state was short-lived however, as the Second Saudi State was also rising.

Ottoman Constitutional Era and Rise of Zionism[]

After the Tanzimat reforms were completed in the Ottoman Empire, it adopted a new government type, modeled on that of the average European nation. In accordance with the Ottoman Constitution of 1876, which had turned the Ottoman Empire into a constitutional monarchy, the Ottoman Empire now had a parliament with representatives from every Province. Yusuf Dia-Uddin Pasha Al Khalidi was the representative of Jeruslem in the Parliament, he was also the Mayor of Jerusalem from 1870-1876 and 1878–1879. Yusuf Dia Pasha, had studied in Malta and learned English and French. He received a letter from Zadok Kahn Chief Rabbi of France, calling him to the Zionist cause. He replied with a letter, "In the Name of God, Leave Palestine Alone". Zadok Kahn showed the letter to Theodore Herzl the founder of political Zionism, Herzl replied "If we are not wanted in Palestine, we will search and we will find elsewhere what we seek". Herzl also wrote "The Idea in itself is perfect, who could deny the rights of Jews in Palestine, good god, historically it is truly our country." This letter is very commonly falsely cited as a letter written by Yusuf Pasha, these false citations have been used by the Shukri family as to support their claim of the Khaldis collaborating with the Zionists. Yusuf Dia Pasha's nephew, Ruhi al Khalidi was the Mayor of Jerusalem from 1899-1907 and the deputy of the head of parliament in 1911, he wrote extensively on early Zionsim and the threats they posed, he was known to be very cross with the ruling political party the Ittihad ve Terraki for their lack of seriousness with dealing with the Zionist threat. His rising political career ended with his death to Typhoid in 1913. Both Yusuf and Ruhi were part of the Committee of Union and Progress, a right wing party believing in Ottoman Nationalism, as opposed to their Husseini rivals who were Arab Nationalists.

British Mandate[]

After the Collapse of the Ottomans in WW1 due to the Great Arab Revolt, a British Mandate was set up in Palestine, charged with modernizing Palestine and granting it Independence when it was "ready". This time period was marked by Arab Nationalists strengthening their regime under the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Amin al-Husseini. Due to the Khaldis opposition to Nationalism, they had difficult times getting back into politics. With the exceptions of Hussein al-Khalidi who was mayor from 1934–1937, and Mustafa al-Khalidi who was the last Arab Mayor of Jerusalem from 1938–1944. Mustafa was like his relatives accused of Zionism, he replied by saying,"We must recognise the facts; the zionists have migrated to this country, become citizens, have become palestinians, and they cannot be thrown into the sea. Likewise, some of them have bought land and received deeds in exchange for money and we must recognise them. There is no point in closing our eyes about such things".

Modern Day[]

After the creation of the State of Israel, most Arab countries had turned into monarchies, meaning ascension into the political system was no easy task. Hussein al-Khalidi had managed to be appointed Prime Minister of Jordan, his cabinet was rejected multiple times however, and was forced to give up the position. His memoirs "An era of courtesies went on" were published by the Khalidi Library in Jerusalem. Descendants of the Jerusalemite branch have become highly influential academics. Walid Khalidi is a Professor of History at Oxford University. Nephew of Hussein al-Khalidi, Rashid Khalidi is a Professor at Columbia University and has written extensively on Palestinian Exodus. The modern day members of the Khalidi family can be found all over the Arab world, however they are very common in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, as well as the Gaza Strip. Many Palestinian Khalidis have sought refuge in Irbid, Jordan, there is reportedly 85,000 Khalidis in Northern Jordan.

See also[]

• Khalidi family, part of the Al-Khaldis
  • Hussein al-Khalidi
  • Yousef al-Khalidi
  • Rashid Khalidi