A major figure in the first year of the period known as the Anarchy at Samarra, his career at the caliphal court came to an end when he was forced into exile in mid-862.
[4] In 838 he is mentioned as assisting Ashinas in thwarting a plot by several military officers to assassinate the caliph al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842) during the Amorion campaign.
[5] During the reign of al-Wathiq (r. 842–847), he was one of the targets of a general crackdown against the government secretaries in 843-4, during which he and his subordinates were fined and forced to hand over one million gold dinars to the caliph.
The army, secretaries and eminent men were assembled and Ahmad read to them an official version of the caliph's murder, claiming (falsely) that he had been killed by his favorite companion al-Fath ibn Khaqan.
Ahmad arranged for the mawlas in the army to accept whoever they decided upon, and gave his approval when the group chose al-Musta'in, a grandson of al-Mu'tasim.