[1]: 166 His grandfather, Jayfar bin al-Julanda, co-ruled Oman with his brother during the advent of Islam and accepted the faith after receiving a letter from Muhammad.
The election may have been motivated by a desire to secure the loyalty of his family for the new imamate, who historically opposed the school, and the tribes who traditionally respected their rule.
Ja'far bin Sa'id al-Julandi and his two sons refused to pledge allegiance to al-Julanda, rousing the non-Ibadi tribes against him and undermining his authority in the Omani interior.
He dispatched a 700-strong army under Khazim bin Khuzaymah to defeat the new imamate and Sufri Kharijites led by Shayban al-Yashkuri who had sought refuge on the island of Ibn Kawan.
Al-Julanda sent his general Yahya bin Najih to confront them, demanding they embrace Ibadism or leave peacefully.
Khazim asked that al-Julanda submit to Abbasid suzerainty and hand over Shayban's ring and sword so it could be presented to the caliph.