ʿAmr b. al-Layth was the second ruler of the Ṣaffārid dynasty, and the brother and successor of the dynasty’s founder Yaʿqūb b. al-Layth (r. 247–265/861–879; he had been a coppersmith, hence the title Ṣaffār). ʿAmr’s rule began in Shawwāl 265/May–June 879 after Yaʿqūb’s death, and lasted until his death in 289/902. According to the sources, ʿAmr came from a poor background, working as either a mason or muleteer. When Yaʿqūb functioned as an ʿayyār (irregular soldier or vigilante), ʿAmr accompanied him and was his trusted companion (al-Iṣṭakhrī, 142; ʿAwfī, 1/245, 2/412; Nöldeke, 195).

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