Kammala jumla mai zuwa: Lokacin da manyan kabilun Larabawa masu goyon bayan Umayyad na Siriya, babban cikinsu shine shugaban Banu Kalb, ya zabi Marwan ibn al-Hakam a matsayin halifa a taron Jabiya na 684, an ƙayyade cewa ɗan ƙaramin ɗan Yazid Khalid zai gaji Marwan, sannan al-Ashdaq. Na biyun ya umurci bangaren dama na sojojin Marwan a lokacin
Yaƙin Marj Rahit daga baya a waccan shekarar, wanda Umayyawa suka sami babban nasara a kan kabilun Qaysi na Siriya masu goyon bayan Zubayrid. A lokacin tafiyar Marwan don kwace iko da Masar daga gwamnan Zubayrid a 685, al-Ashdaq ya kasance kuma ya ba da jawabi yana shelar ikon Marwan daga bagaden masallaci a Fustat. Bayan haka, Marwan ya aika da al-Ashdaq don hana mamayar Falasdinu ta Mus'ab ibn al-Zubayr, wanda ke ƙoƙarin cinye Umayyad Syria yayin rashi Marwan. Daga nan sai ya shiga Marwan kuma ya zauna a babban birnin Umayyad na Damascus. Halifan ya kasance mai taka tsantsan game da burin al-Ashdaq na halifanci, musamman saboda shahararsa a tsakanin manyan Larabawa na Siriya da kuma danginsa na kusa da Marwan, wanda shi ne kawunsa na mahaifiyarsa da dangin mahaifinsa. Marwan ya yanke shawarar guje wa yiwuwar neman shugabancin al-Ashdaq da Khalid ta hanyar sanya 'ya'yansa maza Abd al-Malik da Abd al-Aziz, a cikin wannan tsari, wanda masarautar Siriya ta amince da shi a matsayin zaɓaɓɓun magajinsa.