During his time in Tabaristan, Sulayman came under the influence of his deputy Muhammad ibn Aws al-Balkhi, who was able to appoint members of his family as governors of the cities and districts of the province.
The rebels, who proclaimed the 'Alid al-Hasan ibn Zayd as their leader, quickly gained strength, drawing support from the people of Tabaristan as well as the Daylamites of neighboring Daylam.
[3] Following his flight to Jurjan, Sulayman reassembled his troops and requested reinforcements from his nephew Muhammad ibn Tahir, the governor of Khurasan.
Before long, a rivalry broke out between the Baghdadi commanders and Muhammad ibn Aws, who was in charge of the troops that had come with Sulayman from Khurasan and al-Ray, further complicating matters in the city.
The latter, however, rejected this command and set about plundering the neighborhoods of Baradan and al-Nahrawan to the north of Baghdad, which continued until the central government appeased him by appointing him over the Khurasan Road two and a half months later.