[3] His father, Sulayman ibn Ali, had been a senior member of the family during his lifetime and had held the important governorship of Basra during the initial years following the Abbasid Revolution.
[7] According to some sources he oversaw the summer raid (sa'ifa) against the Byzantines in 787/8 or 788/9, either leading it himself or dispatching Yazid ibn Anbasah al-Harashi to conduct it on his behalf.
After Ishaq requested reinforcements from the caliph, the general Harthamah ibn A'yan arrived in Egypt with a large army and forced the rebels to submit.
[11] Around 809/10 he was the governor of Homs, but after a series of disturbances forced him to retreat from the city to Salamiyah he was dismissed and replaced with Abdallah ibn Sa'id al-Harashi.
After gathering the support of several local notables he set out for Barda, but was soon met by a large force led by Zuhayr ibn Sinan al-Tamimi that al-San'ani had dispatched against him.