In 649/650, Sa'id was appointed governor of Kufa, replacing al-Walid ibn Uqba. During his tenure, his military reputation was boosted by campaigns in Azerbaijan and near the Caspian Sea. However, from the start, he faced issues with the Kufan elite, which consisted of Arab tribal settlers, Muslim veterans from the Battle of Qadisiyya and the qurra (Qur'an reciters). Many among the elite were incensed by Uthman's seizure of the conquered lands of the Sasanian royals and nobility in Iraq, which he planned to distribute to the tribesmen of Quraysh and certain men from Medina, in exchange for their properties in the Arabian Peninsula. Those two groups made up the early settlers in Kufa, who took part in the conquest of Iraq. By the time of Uthman, a large influx of newcomers from Arabia moved to Kufa and the Sawad, reducing the collective profits of the early settlers and prompting Sa'id to send a complaint about the crisis to Uthman in 651. Uthman's policy was meant to be a solution to this situation and stood in stark contrast to Caliph Umar (r. 634 - 644), under whom the Sawad lands were collectively held by the Muslim community. The newcomers were not able to benefit from the proposed land exchange since most did not own property elsewhere.