Ibn al-Sanusi left Cairo after residing there for one year. His visit had a profound impact on him. Among other things, it increased his conviction that the Caliphate was on the path to disintegration and decline. Shukri quotes the Turkish historian Ahmed Hamdi as saying, "This visit brought about a great change in him, and it was etched in his mind that the Ottoman state was on the path to dissolution and decline." The reality is that Ibn al-Sanusi, after experiencing the state of affairs in his homeland, Algeria, where Turkish governors held sway and monopolized power, and the state was unable to curb their excesses, came to Cairo and saw Muhammad Ali's independence in managing Egypt's affairs. This further convinced him of the state's weakness and frailty. He resented this weakness because it provided an opportunity for corrupt governors to oppress the people. The Turkish historian believes that for this reason, "he became more convinced of the necessity of an Islamic Caliphate in the hands of a Sharif of noble lineage."

The visit also allowed him to observe Muhammad Ali's reforms. He saw in these reforms "excess and superficiality" and considered them "matters intended to belittle Islamic principles and show contempt for Arab nationality." It seems he pondered these matters for a long time, seeking a path to reform. The Turkish historian states that he reached two conclusions: first, his certainty that he was in great need of acquiring many sciences beyond the rational and transmitted sciences he benefited from during his stay in the Maghreb, even though Sayyid al-Sanusi was distant from Europe and from being influenced by it. He knew what inventions had emerged in all aspects of life in Europe. The true reason for Europe's progress was unknown to him, as what he possessed was not enough. He realized that Europe's superiority was not due to its knowledge of transmitted sciences, jurisprudence, and logic, as he initially thought, but rather to its industry.