Near the end of 908 al-Layth made a bid for power against 'Amr's son and successor Tahir by occupying part of Zarang.

In the east, supporters of Tahir were causing unrest in Zabulistan, while in the west, the Turkish general Sebük-eri had transferred his allegiance from the Saffarids to the Abbasid caliph, resulting in the loss of Fars and Kerman.

He then moved on to Ghazna and killed a local leader there, but soon encountered stiff resistance and al-Layth was required to send him reinforcements.

Sebük-eri soon after managed to defeat and capture al-Layth, however, and al-Mu'addal was forced to flee to Kerman, where he took control of the local treasury before moving on to Sistan.

After suffering a setback and being forced to end the campaign, his advisors convinced him that he needed al-Mu'addal's support, so he set him free.