Murabit Abu Wad was the son of Murabit Yusuf Abu Saed, the younger brother of the heir to the throne. Despite this obvious exclusion from the Almoravid inheritance, Abu Saed ultimately did gain land in the form of the Sheikhdom of Kairuoan following the break up of the Almoravid Empire in 1140. He ruled this land peacefully until 1180, when he died of natural causes. A year later, following clashes in succession, the land was annexed by the Byzantines Empire.