The son of Muqatil ibn Hakim al-Akki, a supporter of the Abbasid Revolution,[1] Muhammad himself was a foster brother of the caliph Harun al-Rashid (r. 786–809).
Arriving at the provincial capital al-Qayrawan in late October or early November, his administration quickly ran into problems due to his bad conduct, and his relations with the jund (local army) soon became strained.
Eventually a rebellion led by Makhlad ibn Murrah al-Azdi and supported by members of the jund and the local Berbers broke out.
[2] In October 799, a new revolt led by Tammam ibn Tamim al-Tamimi was launched in Tunis and quickly gathered a large degree of support.
His continuing unpopularity among his subjects led to Ibrahim writing to Harun al-Rashid, telling him of the hatred for Muhammad and asking to be appointed over Ifriqiya in exchange for certain financial guarantees.