Muhammad bin Ladin was born on the Hadramawt coast of south Yemen to Awad, a Kindite Hadrami tribesman from al-Rubat, a village in Wadi Doan.

[1] Muhammad's paternal grandfather was Abud, the son of Ali, one of four brothers (the others being Ahmad, Mansur, and Zayd) from whom the four Banu Laden clans trace their ancestry.

Muhammad bin Ladin strategically built strong ties with the Saudi royal family by actively participating in King Abdel Aziz's public meetings.

Recognizing the aging king's mobility challenges, Muhammad took the initiative to construct a ramp at the palace in Jeddah, allowing the monarch to easily move between the floors in his car.

[4] Muhammad's remarkable financial success was ascribed to a shrewd business sense, fealty to Saudi Arabia's rulers, reliability, and a willingness to offer the lowest bid on construction contracts.

Despite his royal associations and great wealth, Muhammad bin Ladin lived a relatively simple and devout life, demanding that his children observe a strict religious and moral code.

He was reportedly raised as a Wahhabi Muslim, noted for his religious devotion and boasted that he could fly by private helicopter to pray at Mecca, Medina and al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem) in the same day.

[9] Osama's mother, Hamida al-Attas, (Arabic: حميدة العطاس) was born and raised in Syria before marrying Muhammad bin Ladin and moving to Saudi Arabia.

[10] On 3 September 1967, Muhammad bin Ladin was killed when his airplane, a Beechcraft G18S, crashed during landing in Usran, 'Asir Province, in southwest Saudi Arabia.

The news of his passing brought profound sadness, as Muhammad was highly esteemed both within the bin Ladin family and amongst the people of Jeddah.

The Saudi Binladin Group is Egypt's largest private foreign company and negotiated with the Lebanese government to rebuild part of central Beirut under a US $50 million contract.