Husayn Ibn Ali (redirected from Al Husein)

Husayn ibn Ali (ĭ`bən ä`lē), 1856–1931, Arab political and religious leader. In 1908 he succeeded as grand sherif of Mecca and thus became ruler of the Hejaz under the Ottoman Empire. In World War I, after receiving British assurances that all Arab lands not under French control would be liberated, he began (1916) a successful revolt against the Turks in Arabia and proclaimed himself king of the Hejaz and of all Arabia. Believing that the British had not kept their promises, he refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles. Great Britain lent him no support in his struggle with Ibn Saud, who defeated him in 1924, forcing him to abdicate and renounce his claim to the caliphate. That claim, advanced after the Turkish parliament abolished the Ottoman caliphate in 1924, was based on Husayn's membership in the Hashemite family, a branch of the Quraysh tribe, to which Muhammad the Prophet had belonged. In 1925, Ibn Saud took Husayn's domain, and Husayn lived (1924–30) in exile on Cyprus. He died in Amman, the capital of Transjordan (now Jordan).

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Husayn Ibn Ali 

Born circa 1854; died June 4, 1931, in Amman. Sharif of the Ottoman territories of Mecca and the Hejaz (1908–16). King of the Hejaz (1916–24). Founder of the Hashimite dynasty.

During World War I, Husayn concluded the McMahon-Husayn Agreement of 1915 with Great Britain. According to the terms of the agreement, Britain pledged to recognize the independence of a future Arab state headed by Husayn. As planned in the agreement, Husain raised a revolt against the Ottoman Empire on June 15, 1916, and proclaimed himself king of the Arabs on November 2. Great Britain, however, had already secretly breached its pledge in the spring of 1916 by signing the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 with France. In accordance with this agreement, Britain and France recognized Husayn as king of only the Hejaz.

In March 1924, Husayn, claiming leadership in the Muslim world, declared himself caliph; the Hejaz, however, was the only Muslim state to recognize him. Striving for hegemony in the Arabian Peninsula, Husayn declared war against ibn Saud, the emir of Nejd. The Nejd-Hejaz War of 1924–25 ended in defeat for Husayn. On Oct. 24, 1924, he abdicated the throne in favor of his eldest son, Ali. After 1925, Husayn lived in Cyprus and Transjordan.