In 1521, they successfully occupied al-Ahsa and al-Qatif (eastern Saudi Arabia today) on the Ottomans' behalf, before being expelled by Banu Khalid.

During the Ottoman era, most of the tribe settled into sedentary life and took up agriculture in southern and western Iraq.

During the Ottoman era, from the late eighteenth century onwards, al-Muntafiq converted to Shia Islam.

Formerly those who were sedentary or herders of small animals such as sheep and goat, rather than camels, were consequently less mobile and less competent as a fighting force compared to the camel-herding tribes of inner Arabia.

After many decades of sedentarization, the tribal bond has weakened and the leadership of the Al Saadun is largely nominal.