He was appointed as governor by the caliph Harun al-Rashid, and arrived in the province in late December 808. His administration was a turbulent one, with a large revolt among the Egyptian army resulting in the deaths of a large number of both soldiers and civilians; at the same time, a shipment of Egyptian tax money bound for the capital was seized en route by the residents of Ramla, who used it for payment of their stipends (ata).[2]