Mohammed bin Nayef – Protector of the Kingdom

As the chief of intelligence, Mohammed bin Nayef, has an important job as the protector of the kingdom, which his grandfather founded. Nayef, or MBN, has done a lot to guard the kingdom, from cracking down on promoting and funding deradicalization to penetrating plots of al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia.

MBN had a close encounter with a young jihadist, that had come to turn himself in and renounce radicalism. However, the jihadist decided to detonate a suicide bomb just inches from MBN, who luckily came out with only a few cuts and scratches. Nayef’s survival only confirmed his legendary status as “protector of the realm”.

After his uncle, King Abdullah, died he was placed in line for the throne. In fact, MBN was the first in his generation to have this honor bestowed upon him. Currently, he has one of the heaviest burdens that exists in the Middle East – to defend his country from ISIS, Iran, and al-Qaeda.

The masculine name Mohammed is a variant transcription of Muhammad, which means “praiseworthy,” and is derived from the Arabic word hamid that means “to praise”. The name was first given to a prophet in the 7th century who founded Islamic religion. At the age of 40, Muhammad was visited by an Angel – Gabriel who gave him the first few verse of the Qur’an – according to Muslim belief.

The name became extremely popular since the prophet’s time in the Muslim world. It has been given to many sultans and Abbasid caliphs.