Ismail was born on 3 March 1279 (17 Shawwal 677 AH), shortly after his father Abu

Said was sent to M�laga as governor on 11 February. He was likely born in the
Alhambra, the royal palace complex in Granada, because his mother was in late
pregnancy at the time of Abu Said's departure, and the Nasrid rule in M�laga was
still unstable because it had just been recaptured after a long rebellion by the
Banu Ashqilula.[9] Ismail and his mother subsequently moved to M�laga, where his
father served as an effective governor and a trusted advisor for Muhammad II and
later Muhammad III.[10] Ismail had a younger brother, named Muhammad, whose birth
date was unknown.[11] During his youth Ismail was said to be well-loved by his
father and by his maternal grandfather, Muhammad II.[9][12] Biographers described
him as a person who loved hunting and who had long, dark-red beard.[9]

Ismail's maternal uncle Sultan Nasr became unpopular at court in the last years of
his reign.[1] The near-contemporary historian Ibn Khaldun wrote that this was due
to his and his vizier's "tendencies towards violence and injustice", while Harvey
rejects this explanation as propaganda and writes that "exactly why Na?r fell is
not clear."[13] The historian Antonio Fern�ndez-Puertas links Nasr's unpopularity
to his activities in science, especially astronomy, which were deemed excessive by
his nobles. Furthermore, Nasr was suspected of being too pro-Christian, because of
his education by his Christian mother and his good relationship with Ferdinand IV.
His vizier, Ibn al-Hajj, was also unpopular as he was believed to have too much
power over the Sultan. Compounding their image problem, they both often dressed in
the Castilian manner.[14] Harvey also opines that Nasr was blamed "perhaps
unfairly" for Granada's losses in the war that occurred during his reign against
the Marinid Sultanate and the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.[13]
Initially, he faced an attempted coup to restore his predecessor, the dethroned
Muhammad III, in November 1310.[15] That attempt failed, but Abu Said Faraj,
encouraged by an anti-Nasr faction he met at court, started another rebellion the
following year in the name of his son Ismail, who had a stronger claim to the
throne thanks to the lineage of his mother.[14][16] According to Fern�ndez-Puertas,
Abu Said's decision was partly prompted by the drowning of Muhammad III at the
order of Nasr after the failed coup,[14] but there are conflicting reports of when
this assassination happened; other historians such as Francisco Vidal Castro
considered the most likely date to be in February 1314, long after the start of Abu
Said's rebellion.[17]

The pro-Ismail rebels, led by Abu Said, took Antequera, Marbella, and V�lez-M�laga;
advanced to the Vega of Granada; and defeated Nasr's forces at a place called al-
Atsha by Arabic sources, possibly today's L�char.[14][18] Abu Said proceeded to
besiege the capital but lacked the necessary supplies for a protracted campaign.
[14] Castile's forces under the brother of King Ferdinand IV (r. 1285�1312),
Infante Peter, defeated Abu Said and Ismail on 28 May 1312.[19] Abu Said sought
peace, which was signed on 5 August,[9] under which Abu Said was able to retain his
post as governor of M�laga and resumed paying tributes to the sultan.[14]