Page 67 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

The Challenge to Power: Brother, Nephew and Son 43

was responsible for obstructing trade and had discontinued the
subsidies usually paid to the members of the ruling family.20 His
brothers were divided in their attitude towards the murder: Sacjr,
the fourth of Zayid’s sons, approved, but Khalifah and Muhammad,
the youngest, disagreed and became estranged. As a result of this
dissension, the town of Abu Dhabi became restless and disorderly,
but Sultan was quick to realise the danger of the situation and
was successful in re-establishing a friendly relationship with his
brothers; he then took positive steps to restore normal life in Abu
Dhabi and encouraged the resumption of the pearl trade, which
had been temporarily disrupted. As a final confirmation of his
stability, he emulated his predecessor by sending his son Hazza4
to Riyadh to tell I bn Sa‘ud of his succession.21
But the same grievances as he had brought against his predecessor
were levelled against him four years later. His discontinuation of
the allowances paid to his brothers and sisters left them in straitened
circumstances, and in their anger they decided to depose him.
On 12 July 1926, Sultan sent his family, including his sons Shakhbut
and Hazza4, to the Buraimi oasis. On the evening of 4 August,
when at Sultan’s invitation his brother Saqr was present for dinner,
Saqr fired on the ruler, killing him instantly. Khalid, another son
of Sultan, was at the scene; although he fled, he was caught
and wounded, but he managed to reach his maternal uncles, who
were of the Qubaysat. Saqr then proclaimed himself ruler and
was accepted by the people of Abu Dhabi.
During his short reign of just over a year, Saqr was haunted
by the possibility of vengeance by his nephews Shakhbut and Hazza4.
Immediately after his accession, he sent his son Dhiyab to Buraimi
with a forged letter, purportedly written by Sultan, asking Shakhbut
and Hazza4 to return home on urgent business; in actual fact,
Dhiyab was instructed to have the boys killed as soon as they
were clear of Buraimi. Shakhbut and Hazza4, however, had already
learned of the death of their father, and they took refuge in the
town of Jimi with the powerful shaykh of the Dawahir, Ahmad
bin Hilal.22 The Dawahir, a tribe with headquarters in Buraimi,
had become loyal to the ruler of Abu Dhabi during the days
of Zayid bin Khalifah, and Ahmad bin Hilal was at the time
Abu Dhabi’s wali (governor) in the oasis. He was a much-respected
man who often acted as arbitrator in disputes, his decisions almost
always being accepted as final.
Saqr at first tried to win the boys back to Abu Dhabi, sending
them gifts and promises of friendship and safety. They were aware
of their uncle’s motives and left Buraimi on a series of journeys
in quest of safety. Early in November 1922 they went to Dubai;
unable to see the ruler, who was away at the time, they proceeded