Muhammad was the son of Abdawayh ibn Jabalah, a military officer and governor of Egypt during the caliphate of al-Ma'mun (r.
[1] He himself embarked on a similar career, and early in the reign of al-Wathiq (r. 842–847) he is mentioned as serving as governor of Barqah in North Africa.
During his administration of that province he was faced with an uprising by a group of Berbers and tribal Arabs, which remained unsubdued until al-Wathiq dispatched the army commander Raja ibn Ayyub al-Hidari to pacify the region.
[2] In 854 Muhammad was appointed as governor of Hims after the previous head official Abu al-Mughith Musa ibn Ibrahim was forced out by the inhabitants.
Al-Mutawakkil subsequently awarded him with 50,000 dirhams, as well as gifts and robes of honor, for his conduct during the event.