 His mother was named Aisha (died 1978), and his father, Mohammad Abdul Salam bin Hamed bin Mohammad, was known as Abu Meniar (died 1985); the latter earned a meagre subsistence as a goat and camel herder.Claims have been made that his maternal grandmother was a Jew who converted to Islam.Along with other nomadic Bedouins, the family were illiterate and kept no birth records.