The battle, which lasted three days in total, was primarily centered around Faisal bin Turki's camp in Mesaimeer and the nearby settlement of Al Bidda.

The Bahraini ruler Ali bin Khalifa, nominally allied with the Qataris, retreated to his ship on the second day of battle, declining to render aid.

The withdrawal of Muhammad Ali of Egypt's forces from the Arabian Peninsula, following the 1840 Convention of London imposed by European powers, created a political vacuum.

[1] To restore equilibrium, Muhammad Ali directed his aides to empower Faisal bin Turki, who had been imprisoned during his campaign in Najd, facilitating his escape from Egypt.

Faisal's return was seen as crucial for maintaining balance, given his rightful claim to rule in Najd, which had been under Abdullah bin Thunayan's control.

[1] Upon regaining control, Faisal swiftly eliminated his rival, Abdullah bin Thunayan, and consolidated his power by subduing opposition tribes in Najd.

Faisal's efforts to enlist the support of Abdullah bin Ahmad Al Khalifa's sons were likely intended to frame his campaign as a family matter, thus minimizing the likelihood of British intervention.

[5] Qatari tribes pledged their intention on defending Al Bidda from the Wahhabis, and provided Ali bin Khalifa with ample amounts of munitions, crafts and fighting men.

According to the Saudi historian Ibn Bishr, the conflict began when Imam Faisal bin Turki ordered his son Abdullah to lead a contingent of Wahhabis to besiege Al Bidda fortress.

A subsequent confrontation occurred at Mesaimeer near Al Bidda on 4 June, rendering the situation on the Qatari coast highly unstable.

[8] According to an oral account by Muhammad ibn Ahmad, documented in Nasser bin Ali Al Thani's book "Glimpses of Qatari History", the battle lasted three days.

He also wrote a letter to Mohammed bin Thani, in which he stated that, although it was not the intention of the British to interfere in a tribal dispute in which they were uninvolved, it was necessary to do so to prevent the Ottomans from establishing a stronghold on the Arabian Peninsula.

The blockading force, however, soon found itself engaged by a superior flotilla of 18 warships, manned by Utubi exiles from Qais Island allied with Faisal bin Turki.

Relinquishing his designs upon Bahrain, the Wahhabi Amir made a conciliatory overture on 20 July, 1851, proposing to dispatch his two brothers and son to parley with Ali bin Khalifa aboard his ship.

[11] In his increasing desperation for a peaceful resolution, Faisal enlisted Ahmed bin Mohammad Sudairi, the chief of Al Ahsa, as mediator.

Sudairi's proposition to confer with Ali bin Khalifa aboard the latter's vessel was rebuffed with the terse reply: "If you come without demands, you are welcome; if not, stay away."

Saeed bin Tahnun of Abu Dhabi, who enjoyed amicable relations with both contending parties, acceded to a request from the Sultan of Muscat and Sheikh of Sharjah to mediate the Wahabi-Bahraini dispute.

[12] Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, future ruler of Qatar and son of Mohammed bin Thani, participated in the battle and wrote a poem about it in his later years, in which he praises the Qatari forces' bravery:[13] أرى مـن صروف الدهـر ما كدر الصفا وجفـن سـهر مهـوب بالنـوم ذايـل حميـناك ـمن دوالت اإلـمام فيـصل جمـوع يقديهـا طـرى الفعايـل نطحـنا الـسبايا ـيوم ـكرت ورودـها والشـيخ فـي مثنـاة جمعـه يخايـل نطحـنا الـسبايا بالـسبايا ودـبرت ودم لعتيبـي فـوق رمحـي وشـايل I see from the vicissitudes of time what has troubled the serenity, And an eyelid, sleepless, fearful of slumber, withering.