Abu Ja'far Ahmad ibn Muhammad (June 21, 906 – March 31, 963) was the amir of Sistan from 923 until his death in 963. He is responsible for restoring Saffarid rule over Sistan, and was a great patron of the arts. Ancestors Abu Ja’far Ahmad's father was named Muhammad. Muhammad was very distantly related to the founder of the Saffarid amirate, Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari; his great-great-grandfather had been the brother of Ya’qub's great-grandfather. Muhammad shared a closer connection with Ya’qub's brother and successor Amr bin Laith, having married the latter's granddaughter. Life Abu Ja’far Ahmad's rise to power began in May 923, when the people of Zarang proclaimed him amir. Sistan at that time was ruled by 'Abdallah ibn Ahmad, who was unpopular in Zarang due to his harsh taxes. Taking advantage of his ties to the Saffarids, Abu Ja’far Ahmad gained the support of the city ‘ayyars, who stopped an attempt by ‘Abdallah's son ‘Aziz to maintain control of the town. Abu Ja’far Ahmad's rule soon expanded outside Zarang; ‘Abdallah's representative in al-Rukhkhaj defected to him and the citizens of Bust threw their support behind the Saffarid as well. ‘Abdallah was defeated in battle by Abu Ja’far Ahmad's supporters, forcing him to make for Samanid Khurasan. He was captured, however, and brought back to Zarang in October 923. His capture ended his rule for good. Although ‘Abdallah was no longer a threat to Abu Ja’far Ahmad, his son ‘Aziz remained opposed to him. Some of Abu Ja’far Ahmad's supporters turned against him and threw their support behind ‘Aziz, forcing the Saffarid to march on Bust twice to subdue the rebels. ‘Aziz attempted to conquer Sistan but was defeated by a Saffarid army towards the end of 925. He fled to Khurasan, ending his attempt to take over Sistan. Having successfully defended against the rebels, Abu Ja’far Ahmad sought to expand his realm at the expense of the Abbasid Caliphate, which had been suffering a series of setbacks over the last several years. He therefore sent several of his officials to Kerman, a province which had formerly belonged to the Saffarids. Taxes were collected by the officials, who then returned to Sistan. Saffarid authority over Kerman was therefore only temporary; the Abbasids held a loose grip on the province for a few more years before the Banu Ilyas took over in 932. Abu Ja’far Ahmad continued to be preoccupied with