Most of the people of Zarang supported ‘Abdallah, forcing Ahmad to flee the town; the latter made his way to al-Rukhkhaj and Bust.
‘Abdallah attempted to pursue him by taking a direct route across the desert, but found that Ahmad had poisoned all the wells along the way.
Not long after defeating Ahmad, ‘Abdallah's reign came into jeopardy as he began to lose the popular support he had enjoyed earlier.
‘Abdallah's son ‘Aziz attempted to regain control of Zarang, but despite the lawlessness that prevailed for a time amongst the ‘ayyars, their loyalty to the Saffarid line enabled them to defend the town against him.
His representative in al-Rukhkhaj shifted his loyalty to Abu Ja’far, and the people of Bust likewise declared their support for the Saffarid.