Faisal effects a second escape from his captors two years later, returning to Nejd in 1843.

'Abd Allah resists, only to be overpowered and slain by Faisal, who resumes his reign after an interruption of five years to rule essentially unchallenged, other than by occasional tribal uprisings and friction with the townspeople of Al-Qaysumah.

The Hejaz remains in Ottoman hands, while northern Arabia (the province of Jabal Shammar) is locally autonomous but acknowledges the supremacy of Riyadh.

Administration under Faisal is simple, involving few people, mostly members of the Al-Sa'ud family and descendants of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab.

Riyadh-appointed officials enforce justice in the provinces; the tribes pay taxes, and the writing of poetry and history flourish.