Abdallah was initially made head of the shurtah following the death of the penultimate Umayyad governor al-Mughirah ibn Ubaydallah al-Fazari in 749, with the Egyptian jund appointing him on an interim basis to provide continuity of leadership until the central government could send a replacement.[2] Subsequent to the overthrow of the Umayyads in 750, he pivoted to the new Abbasid rulers and was briefly returned to office by Salih ibn Ali.[3] A more lengthy tenure over the shurtah followed in 760–769, with both Humayd ibn Qahtabah and Yazid ibn Hatim al-Muhallabi employing him in that position during their respective governorships.[4] Under Yazid he played an instrumental role in defeating a local outbreak of the Alid revolt of 762–763, and he was made acting head of the province when Yazid went on hajj in 765.[5]