Hail, the seat of the House of Rashid, remained utterly opposed to Ibn Saud's authority. Following a bout of internecine strife, Zamil bin Subhan emerged as the new leader of the House of Rashid and ruler of the Jabal Shammar.
As soon as he felt his position was secure, Zamil launched a raid into land under Ibn Saud's control. The two sides met at the battle of Asha'alan, and Zamil was roundly defeated.