The founder of the dynasty was ''Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Ukhaidhir ibn Ibrahim ibn Musa al-Djawn ibn Abd Allah al-Kāmil ibn Al-Hasan al-Mu'thannā bin Al-
Hassan al-mujtaba bin
Ali al Murtaza bin
Abi Talib.'' Muhammad's brother
Isma'il had launched a rebellion in the
Tihamah in 865 against the
Abbasid government and temporarily occupied the city of
Mecca. After Isma'il's death the following year, Muhammad began stirring up trouble along the
road running between the Hejaz and Iraq, but was defeated by the road's governor
Abu 'l-Saj Dewdad. Fleeing from the government forces, he made his way in al-Yamamah and established himself there in 867. Al-Yamamah at the time was nominally part of the Abbasid Caliphate, but the central government had largely neglected the area for years due to its remoteness. With the exception of the occasional raid by government forces, the tribes there were largely self-governing. When Muhammad arrived in al-Yamamah, he likely gained the support of the
Banu Hanifa, the largest tribe in the area, and created an independent
amirate. It is not known how much of al-Yamamah was ruled by Muhammad and his descendants. Descriptions of the extent of the amirate by medieval
Muslim historians vary; one source states that it controlled only al-Khidhrimah and its outskirts, while another claims that it ruled over a territory that extended as far north as
Qurran. The early rule of the Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir was characterized by a sustained economic depression. Thousands of people are recorded as having emigrated from al-Yamamah to various provinces of the caliphate in order to escape the turmoil. Muhammad has been blamed for this period of hardship due to his oppressive rule, although it has been noted that reports of mass emigration from al-Yamamah began years before his arrival. Muhammad was succeeded as amir by his son Yusuf, who was himself succeeded by his son Isma'il. Isma'il established an alliance with the powerful
Qarmatians of neighboring
Al-Hasa. He participated in the capture of
Kufa in 925 and was given command of the town by the Qarmatian leader
Abu Tahir. Relations between the two sides, however, subsequently soured, and in 928 Isma'il and several members of his family were killed in a battle with the Qarmatians. After the rule of al-Hasan's son Ahmad, the history of the Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir becomes obscure. When the traveler
Nasir-i Khusraw arrived in al-Yamamah in 1051, the Banu 'l-Ukhaidhir were still ruling there, but at some point after this the
Banu Kilab took over the country. ==Rulers==