From the Biographies of the Distinguished Martyrs: (3) Abu Umayr al-Suri
The third “distinguished martyr” in this collection is Abu Umayr al-Suri al-Halabi. He was a Syrian jihadist from Aleppo, born to affluence. Suri’s own story is not especially remarkable, but what is notable is the diverse nationalities in his circle. Abu Ismail al-Muhajir reports the presence of a Yemeni, a Kuwaiti, and a Palestinian.
In the name of God, the most Gracious, the most Merciful
Abu Umayr al-Suri:
He is the ascetic worshipper, the pious, the pure, the knower of God, Abu Umayr al-Suri al-Halabi. The martyr–we consider him so and God is his Judge–was born into a wealthy family that owned a textile factory. He lost his father when he was young, so his mother raised him.
May God have mercy on him, he was dutiful to his mother, loved her, and was passionate about serving her. However, that did not prevent him from answering God’s call when he read the Almighty’s words: “Go forth, whether light or heavy.” So he left his studies while he was a handsome, outstanding young man, as he was a student in the Faculty of Engineering (third year in the Electricity Department).
He always repeated the words of God Almighty: {Say: If your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your wives, your kindred, the wealth you have acquired, commerce in which you fear decline, and dwellings in which you delight are dearer to you than God and His Messenger and striving in His cause, then wait until God brings about His decision. And God does not guide the defiantly disobedient people [9:24].}
He came (may God have mercy on him) to the battlefield alone, where he met the martyred hero Abu Khattab al-Yemeni al-Hindi al-Hijazi–and we will return to him, God willing–they came to the city of Fallujah, the city of glory and jihad, they initially stayed with one of the sheikhs who were helping the Arab mujahidin, and God decreed that I would meet the martyr, so he told me about his desire to join us, so I said to them: “We pledged allegiance to death and we do not accept anyone except those who are prepared for martyrdom.” And so he laughed that day and said: "I am searching for martyrdom, and I am striving for it and seeking it, and does anyone want anything other than it?!" So I made an appointment with them and took them to the house of Abu Abdullah al-Shami.
In this house, a group of brave heroes gathered, whose faces were radiant with light, and whose hearts were filled with purity, selecting the best words as one selects the best fruits. They were brothers in God, when you sit with them, your faith increases. They remind you of God and you feel small in front of them. The Qur’an is in their hands, and smiles are on their faces. Prayer is a means to their Lord. Umm Abdullah used to expect reward and recompense in serving them–despite the large number of children, the weakness of her situation, and the pressure of illness–energy would flow within her when she served them.
Abu Abdullah al-Shami told me while he was sitting next to me one day and said:
Whenever I slept alongside my brothers on the upper floor, I would not miss my share of the night prayers, and I would thank God if I was blessed with the witr prayer when I slept with my family. Whenever I entered upon my wife, she would remind me of Abu Umayr and his brothers, who often said: “I swear to God not to deprive me of the reward of carrying out a martyrdom operation in a place where only women enter,” because whenever her little one woke her up, she would hear a voice like the wailing of a man who had lost his only child. She would say: “I have never heard one of them’s voices so loud that I could understand his words. As for the loud laughter, it is beyond her ability to find its way to them. They ate to live, not to build bellies.
I return to the beloved martyr Abu Umayr, whom I have never seen or heard of anyone like him in worship. The martyr Abu Khabab al-Filastini, the hero, the valiant, the dear to God–I will return to him later–used to say: “He could not sleep alongside Abu Abdullah al-Shami because he was ashamed of Abu Umayr, for he always woke up at night to find him standing and praying.”
May God bless you, Abu Umayr. The Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “The delight of my eyes has been made in prayer.” By God, there will always be in this nation [ummah] those whose delight has been made in prayer. I swear by God that Abu Umayr was one of them, and so was Abu Abdul-Rahman al-Libi–I ask God to release him from captivity.
When Abu Umayr prayed the Isha prayer, he would take his share of the prayer, then talk to his brothers for a little while, then sleep for an hour or two at night, then he would turn away from his bed until he prayed the Duha prayer (twelve rak’ahs) , after which he would sleep for an hour and wake up to eat breakfast, then he would pray until noon and pray the Dhuhr prayer, and after that he would pray until the Asr prayer, and so on.
His brothers said: “By God, we never saw him except when he was praying or holding the Book of God. As for his fasting, may God have mercy on him, he would fast one day and break his fast the next.” Abu Abdullah felt sorry for him and asked him to be gentle with himself. Abu Umayr answered him, saying: “If fasting all his life was not forbidden, I would have fasted. It is only a few days and I will meet my loved ones, God willing.”
While the hero was waiting for a moment when God would heal the hearts of a group of believers, the reconnaissance battalion spotted an important target, which was the headquarters of the Polish forces in the city of Karbala. The heroes toured around it and saw a gap in the headquarters’ protection, located near a side street of a random village that was built to be inhabited by those who serve the infidels. The infidels left that gap after mercy and affection had become established between them and their servants.
Abu Umayr al-Suri and his brother Abul-Zubayr al-Kuwaiti set out, accompanied by a third lion who circled around the target before the execution and determined the method of execution. Abu Umayr advanced, tore out the doors and brought down the towers from their heights, mixed with the blood of the filthy. Then the other lion, Abul-Zubayr, stormed in with a truck loaded with five tons of explosives, and settled in the base’s valley, making it as if it had never existed yesterday. The enemy’s victims were estimated in the hundreds, but concealment was the enemy’s slogan, as usual.1
Finally, I will not forget to mention to you some verses that I wrote for my beloved Abu Umayr before I bid him farewell, urging him to do what he wished for. I said to him, addressing him:
Abu Umayr, do not worry... Happiness is in seeking high things.
Hasten your steps towards your Lord... For the beautiful women are longing for union.
She spread her braids and said... Come, O pride of attainment!
Written by:
Abu Ismail al-Muhajir
This was likely the al-Hillah bombing of 18 February, 2004. Cf. Dexter Filkins, “THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: INSURGENCY; Truck Bombs Kill 11 Iraqis At Army Base Run by Poles,” New York Times, 19 February, 2004.