 This was in contrast to the "qaranis", who were those in the Royal Mamluks' ranks who had been recruited by a sultan's predecessors and thus lacked "khushdashiyyah" bonds with the sultan.The "qaranis" occasionally constituted a hostile faction to a sultan, such as in the case of Sultan as-Salih Ayyub and the Qalawuni successors of an-Nasir Muhammad.The sultan was the head of state and among his powers and responsibilities were issuing and enforcing specific legal orders and general rules, making the decision to go to war, levying taxes for military campaigns, ensuring the proportionate distribution of food supplies throughout the sultanate and, in some cases, overseeing the investigation and punishment of alleged criminals.