Early in 1781 he and his brother Saif took control of the forts of al-Mirani and al-Jalali that guarded the harbor of Muscat.
When the governor of Muscat tried to recover the forts, Sultan and Saif began a damaging bombardment of the town.
The two brothers gained the support of the powerful Sheikh Sarkar, who marched on the capital in April 1781.
[3] On his father's death in 1783 Said bin Ahmad was elected Imam and took possession of the capital, Rustaq.
Sultan and Saif called on Sheikh Sakar of the Shemal tribal group to help them gain the throne.
Around the end of 1785 a group of notables elected his brother, Qais bin Ahmad, as Imam.
In 1800, Oman suffered from an invasion by Wahhabis from the north, who occupied the Buraimi oasis and besieged Sultan's brother Qais in Sohar.