Juhayman Al-Otaybi - Biography

Biography

Otaybi was born in al-Sajir, Al-Qassim Province, one of the settlements established by King Abd al-Aziz to house Ikhwan bedouin tribesmen who had fought for him. The al-Sajir settlement (known as a hijra) was populated by members of Otaybi's tribe, the 'Utaybah tribe, one of the most pre-eminent tribes of the Najd region. Many of Otaibi's tribesmen participated in the Battle of Sabilla during the Ikhwan uprising against King Abdulaziz, including his father and grandfather (who was killed). Otaybi therefore grew up listening to stories of the battle and of how the Saudi monarchs had betrayed the original religious principles of the Saudi state. He served in the Saudi Arabian National Guard from 1955 to c. 1973., he was thin and stood (187 cm) according to his friends in the Saudi Arabian National Guard.

His doctrines are said to have included:

1. The imperative to emulate the Prophet's example—revelation, propagation, and military takeover.
2. The necessity for the Muslims to overthrow their present corrupt rulers who are forced upon them and lack Islamic attributes since the Quran recognizes no king or dynasty.
3. The requirements for legitimate rulership are devotion to Islam and its practice, rulership by the Holy Book and not by repression, Qurayshi tribal roots, and election by the Muslim believers.
4. The duty to base the Islamic faith on the Quran and the sunnah and not on the equivocal interpretations (taqlid) of the ulama and on their "incorrect" teachings in the schools and universities.
5. The necessity to isolate oneself from the sociopolitical system by refusing to accept any official positions.
6. The advent of the mahdi from the lineage of the Prophet through Husayn ibn Ali to remove the existing injustices and bring equity and peace to the faithful.
7. The duty to reject all worshipers of the partners of God (shirk), including worshipers of Ali, Fatimah and Muhammad, the Khawarij, and even music.
8. The duty to establish a puritanical Islamic community which protects Islam from unbelievers and does not court foreigners.

In the late 1970s, he moved to Riyadh, where he drew the attention of the Saudi security forces. He and approximately 100 of his followers were arrested in the summer of 1978 for demonstrating against the monarchy, but were released after ibn Baz questioned them and pronounced them harmless.

He married both the daughter of Prince Sajer Al Mohaya and the sister of Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Qahtani.