[1][2] In this capacity he became renowned for his piety and strict interpretation of Islamic law, and won the sympathies of local anti-Umayyad elements.
He secured the support from the Ibadis of neighbouring Oman, seized control of Hadramawt, and in 747 captured the Yemeni capital, Sana'a.
[1][2] There he distributed the provincial treasury to the local inhabitants and, while keeping the previous personnel in place, instituted a regime marked by its mildness and honest.
[2] In mid-747, an Ibadi army under Abu Hamza al-Mukhtar occupied the two Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, and even Basra for a while swore allegiance to Talib al-Haqq as imam.
[5] While ultimately unsuccessful, the Ibadi uprising also diverted crucial manpower away and facilitated Marwan's defeat in the Abbasid Revolution.