Ka cika wannan furcin: A c. 800, Abd al-Malik kuma an sanya shi a matsayin mai koyarwa a kan ɗan Harun al-Qasim. Girmansa da tasirinsa a cikin sojojin ya sa Harun ya ƙi amincewa da shi kuma a cikin 803 aka kama shi aka jefa shi cikin kurkuku. Dalilin da ya sa har yanzu ba a bayyana ba, kodayake yawancin kafofin sun yarda cewa dansa, Abd ar-Rahman, ya sanar da Khalifan cewa yana shirin hambarar da shi. Abd al-Malik ya kasance a kurkuku har zuwa mutuwar Harun shekaru shida bayan haka, lokacin da Halifa al-Amin (r. 809<unk>813) ya sake shi.
Tsohon dan uwansa al-Ma'mun ya kalubalanci gadon Al-Amin, kuma akwai tashin hankali a Siriya. Abd al-Malik har yanzu yana da tasiri sosai a kan sojojin kan iyaka, sabili da haka an nada shi gwamnan Siriya da Upper Mesopotamia kuma an ɗora masa alhakin tabbatar da waɗannan yankuna ga al-Amin da kuma tayar da sojoji don fuskantar al-Ma'mun. Ba da daɗewa ba bayan ya isa wurin zama a Raqqa, duk da haka, Abd al-Malik ya kamu da rashin lafiya kuma ya mutu. Kabarinsa ya rushe 'yan shekaru daga baya ta hanyar al-Ma'mun mai nasara, saboda an yi zargin cewa Abd al-Malik ya rantse ba zai taba yarda da mulkin al-Ma'mun ba.