Bisutun

His ascension was contested, however, by a Samanid army which had arrived shortly before Vushmgir's death for a joint campaign against the Buyid Rukn al-Dawla.

The army commander supported making Bisutun's brother Qabus as ruler of the Ziyarids.

The Samanid army soon left Gurgan, returning to Khurasan, but Qabus found the support of al-Hasan ibn al-Fairuzan, who was ruling in Simnan at that time.

Bisutun eventually managed to conquer both Gurgan and Simnan, forcing Qabus to give up his claims.

He released the Alid al-Hasan al-Tha'ir, who his father had imprisoned, and gave him money so that he could dislodge the ruler of the coastal town of Hausam (located in Gilan), Abu Muhammad al-Nasir.