He was an ineffective ruler, and his reign, recorded by the contemporary North African historian Ibn Khaldun, marked the beginning of the decline of the Mali Empire.
Jata may be the same person as a figure named Jatil[b] mentioned by Ibn Battuta.
When Suleyman died, he was succeeded by his son Qanba, who would reign for only nine months.
The delegation arrived in December 1360 or January 1361,[d] where it was received by Sultan Abu Salim and attracted much interest among the people of Fez.
He was said to have sold one of the national treasures of Mali, a boulder of gold that weighed twenty qintars, for far less than it was worth.