Mawlāy Ismāʿīl faced the difficulty of governing a kingdom in which many adult sons could become independent political actors. Mawlāy Muhammad al-ʿĀlim rose in the Sūs, proclaimed himself sultan, and occupied Marrakesh. Ismāʿīl sent his son Mawlāy Zaydān against the rebel, and the conflict continued for two years.

The rebellion and the disputes among his sons led Ismāʿīl to adopt a deliberate settlement policy. He sent all sons who had reached puberty to the Tafilālet, establishing each in a separate house with palm trees, farmland, and enslaved workers. This arrangement removed them from the princely environment of Meknes and other Moroccan towns while giving them productive resources.

In 1717 Ismāʿīl removed all his sons from office except Mawlāy Ahmad al-Dhahabī, governor of Tadla. Ahmad was retained because his province had experienced no uprising for twenty years. The measure was followed by peace and quiet, and Moroccans increased the country’s wealth through the development of trade and agriculture.

Ismāʿīl’s reign lasted fifty-seven years. He died on 21 March 1727, after which his many sons competed for supreme power. The succession struggles produced decades in which no claimant maintained a strong and lasting government, and Mawlāy ʿAbdallah was enthroned and deposed several times.