[1] Originally from the town of Abhar in western Iran,[1] he was grand vizier from 1289 to 1291 under the Mongolian Ilkhan in Persia, Arghun Khan.
Sa'ad held a position in the treasury department, where he so distinguished himself that the Mongolian governor was jealous and recommended him to court as a physician.
The historian Wassaf says that Sa'ad cured Arghun of an illness, and, having thus gained his confidence, informed the Ilkhan of the corruption among the officials at Baghdad.
At the same time he impressed Arghun with his ability, his knowledge of the Mongolian and Turkish languages, and by his intimate acquaintance with the conditions existing in the province.
The administration of Sa'ad al-Daulah (Arabic for "Felicity of the Empire," an honorific name which he took as vizier) appears to have been wise and just, although Von Hammer calls it "sanguinary and golden."