As the sources generally refer to these individuals only by their kunya and nisbah, separating the lives and identities of the family members is difficult.
[1] Abu Ali was apparently the son of Abu Abdallah Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Jayhani, who served as vizier to Emir Nasr II in 914–922.
[1] Abu Ali himself served as vizier to Nasr II in 937/8 until 941/2 or slightly before that.
[3] He died in AH 330 (941/2 CE),[4] and was succeeded by a fervent Isma'ili partisan, Abu al-Tayyib al-Mus'abi.
[5] According to some sources, Abu Ali patronized the Shi'a gnostic al-Kayyal.