[2] He began his career as private secretary to al-Qasim ibn Ubayd Allah.
[2][3] His tenure of office was marked by a close alliance with the Banu'l-Furat, whose leader Abu'l-Hasan Ali became his chief aide and designated successor.
[2] When al-Muktafi died in 908, it fell on Abbas and the senior bureaucrats to decide on his successor.
In the end, Abbas heeded the advice of Abu'l-Hasan Ali, who counselled the selection of a weak ruler who would be easy to manipulate: al-Muktafi's 13-year-old brother Ja'far, who became Caliph al-Muqtadir (r.
[2][4] In December 908, a palace revolt broke out led by the Jarrahids and the Hamdanid al-Husayn ibn Hamdan, aiming to install his more mature and experienced uncle, Abdallah ibn al-Mu'tazz, in his stead.