abdalbasitsarout-blog

[abdalbasitsarout-blog]

Syria’s Revolution Goalkeeper II Abd al-Basit Sarout

The mourning over the loss of Abd al-Basit Sarout, killed fighting Assad regime forces last month, has encompassed at least three distinct forms of grief, in isolation or combined.

First, there is the straightforward sorrow for the death of a youthful 27-year-old killed fending off the advance of the regime in the countryside north of Hama, after eight years of total immersion in the war; a sorrow naturally compounded for those who knew him personally.

Second, for a wider number of people, there’s the melancholy produced by an unexpected return to the foundational moments of the revolution, and its crest, in the years 2011 and 2012; years that will forever be associated with the voice of Sarout leading the chants in Homs’ demonstrations. Many may have had no idea what became of Sarout after Homs - some are no longer able to follow the news in general - yet 2011 was nonetheless a transformational moment for them, as painful as it was necessary.

Third, there is additional anguish piled on top, resulting from the war declared on Sarout by Assad loyalists from the moment his death was announced, obsessed as they are with destroying any and all meaning, memory, and thought outside their fevered accusations of ‘terrorism.’ It is a war against every version of history inconsistent with the regime’s absolute insistence that all who rose against it were ‘criminals’ and ‘terrorists.’

In honour of the martyr, this biography has been compiled on the eight years of war on a young hero in Syria, whom like many others Syrian heroes, their stories remain untold, as Basit says, his fight is for his people and it was rare that we heard from him about himself or his family, instead his recurring words gestured towards his fellow brothers, just like him, but with an untold story. Abd al-Basit Sarout was born in 1992 in Homs’ al-Bayada neighborhood, one of the many impoverished districts in Syria that had suffered great misgovernance under Hafez al-Assad’s three-decade rule. In 2000 Hafez al-Assad died leaving his son, Bashar, to succeed his position.

Syria, a largely secular governorate controlled county, under strict military supervision by the Alawite regime, enforced religious beliefs on the Sunni population, leaving Sunni Muslims unable to practice their religion. In the years preceding the outbreak of the uprising in Syria, Homs’ al-Bayada, a majority Sunni population, faced additional neglect from the government. Such were the conditions in which Sarout’s childhood and adolescence were spent. Unable to complete his education, he was forced to work instead from a young age, transporting construction blocks and iron. At the same time, he joined Homs’ al-Karama (Dignity) soccer club, where he showed talent as a goalkeeper, a position he would go on to play for al-Karama’s youth team, then also the Syrian national youth squad. This sporting success, however, made little difference to Sarout’s financial situation—his monthly salary from al-Karama was just 1,500 Syrian pounds.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured in the al-Karama youth team

His talent for the sport led Basit to be ranked the second-best goalie on the Asian continent at just 19 years-old. The now Syrian soccer star Sarout, whose talents on the field where followed and admired by millions, also became the only ‘Sunni’ player in his team, as the days drew closer to 2011, the year of the Syrian uprising, Basit was one of the early leading protesters, bravely advancing the al-Bayada demonstrations. The first video of Sarout to circulate widely on the internet was one filmed in al-Bayada in early June 2011, in which he appeared standing on the shoulders of demonstrators, chanting in support of various Syrian cities, calling for the revolution to spread. At the time, it was decided to blur his face, to protect him from reprisals at the hands of the regime’s intelligence agencies.

Abd al-Basit Sarout leading the early protests in 2011

Abd al-Basit Sarout leading the early protests in 2011 

It didn’t take long for word to spread that the owner of this distinctive voice; tender and powerful at the same time; was none other than Abd al-Basit Sarout, goalkeeper and star of the Syrian youth team. His voice heard in passionate paeans to the uprisings sweeping the country, earned him the nickname: the Nightingale of the Revolution. From that point on, the videos of Sarout were unending, and he no longer concealed his face, unlike most other demonstrators, who were still taking precautions against arrest in the early months. Sarout’s face became the face of them all, and his voice their collective voice. When people learned Basit would be chanting at a demonstration, they would head there straight away.

He was immediately banned from the country’s national football team. The National Sports Association was quick to discharge Sarout and banned him from playing for life. Giving up his then, highly successful football career, did not halt the determined Sarout to continue organizing protests and writing songs to lead the demonstrations. He says, speaking in a documentary, The guardian of the Syrian Revolution, that witnessing the little children of Dar’aa getting tortured for writing slogans on the walls against Bashar was one of his motivations in the early days of the uprising. The yet to be witnessed brutal and ruthless regime was just at its peak as Basit, along with his childhood friends saw the most horrific events unfold in front of their eyes. The early videos leaked, shows children being interrogated by Assad's soldiers while being subjected to horrendous torture, to mention, having their private organs cut off while a soldier mockingly films them.

Back then, the elderly said to the youth: “You don't know this regime, the country will drown in its blood before al-Assad steps down,” but the youth were already beyond the point of no return.

The first slogan Sarout ever chanted, according to an interview with al-Jazeera, occurred as he gestured to his body and stared at troops deployed to suppress demonstrations held in al-Bayada, in a pulsating voice, he chants:

“Listen up O sniper, here’s my neck and here’s my head.”

Sarout’s popularity grew rapidly, not just as the soccer star but now also inseparable from his stirring voice, and the songs and chants he would invent, and his courage in standing up on the crowds’ shoulders, making him an obvious target for the regime and its security agencies.  Along with his friends, Sarout, by now had learned the art of organizing the mass protests, thousands gathered to his protests, some protests were as much as 50,000 people. Sarout took care of organizing the entire demonstration, he also came to realise the impact he had after the regime soldiers began cracking down the protests, opening tear gas on the peaceful protestors, arresting dozens of them and never failing to exert all efforts to terminate the protests. Sarout says, speaking in a documentary on al-Jazeera, that he and his friends would organize the very first mass protests that the world has witnessed on the streets of al-Bayada, they would take care of designing the placards, flags and cleaning up the streets afterward. Sarout also wrote many meaningful Arabic poems to enliven the hearts of his people, where he would chant them at the demonstrations.

Mass protests held in Homs Clock Tower Square

By the end of 2011, Sarout found himself amidst the country’s long history of sharp sectarian polarization, with the city’s neighbourhoods split into those of an Alawite majority supportive of the regime, and those with a Sunni majority opposed to it. Sarout found himself in the heart of those Homs neighborhoods that were starting to appear as though under siege. To protect demonstrators from the regime’s increasingly murderous attacks against them, certain armed groups began to emerge as the regime fragmented the city, erecting military checkpoints on the roads and at the entrances of various districts. Sarout found himself leading the protests to keep up the peoples morale as well as taking up arms to protect them.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured taking up arms against the regime  

Sarout, not only followed by football fans nationally, he also gains popularity internationally, as public and individual charity organizations respond to his passionate voice echoing the streets of Syria, his emotional appeals to the world as he stands amidst a makeshift hospital filled with blood and dead bodies, he screams while gesturing to the lifeless bodies of children, men, and women, asking the world not to turn a blind eye to the people of Syria.

In a video leaked by one of Sarout’s close journalist friends, Ossama - during the early days of the uprising when no journalist was allowed to cover events in Syria -  shares his pain as the speaks to OrientNews about his entrance into a notourious military hospital (unnamed) to identify the lifeless, mutilated body of one of their friends. The military hospital that serves as a prison by the brutal Assad regime,  left the world in shock as the initial indescribable scenes were leaked by anonymous ex-detainees. A young girl described being detained alongside a corpse in a tiny cell, barely able to move away from the woman (the corpse), which was the body of her fellow detainee who had died a few months earlier from the torture she has endured, her body was left to rot in the cell. As Ossama describes his visit to identify the body of his friend the listener grasps instantly that death was all he could sense and blood was all he could smell. He says, a man having completed surgery on his leg, chained to his bed, while the guards come in, and cut open the area of the wound raw, with their boots as they tramp and kick him, only to admit him again for a second surgery.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured with his journalist friend Ossama al-Habali

Although Ossama succeeds in identifying the body of their friend (anonymous), the mutilated body remains a mystery forever. Only months later, Ossama is kidnapped by regime forces and he also became a mystery, leaving behind a grieving Sarout, for yet another of his friends snatched away by the regime.

During the period of Sarout’s rapid popularity, the regime was not prepared for such a scene. They did not expect anything of this sort. They decided to bribe Basit, offering military protection to him and his family, as well as his position in the football club regained and all this,  was in return for a request for him to speak on the Syrian national TV (al-Dunya Channel) in honour of Assad.

The remarkably steadfast Sarout rejected the offer and vowed to continue his path until he saw freedom for his people. Only months later, towards early 2012, the regime put a bounty on his head, a reward of two-million Syrian pounds was offered for handing in any information on Sarout. Then they targeted his home in hope of killing him, although he was not inside his home at the time, they succeeded and leveled his entire home to the ground with the shelling of four tanks, killing his eldest brother, several of his cousins and nearby residents. In a documentary on OrientNews, an emotional Sarout is seen showing the cameraman the ruins of his beloved brother scattered around the rubble of his childhood home, he points towards splattered blood on a nearby wall, speaking in a low voice resonating with anger, he says:

“O world take a look! This is my brother's blood.” and then he gestures towards another corner and says, “Look! These are is his brains!”

By early 2012, Basit had seen a large number of his childhood friends and fellow residents of al-Bayada buried. His eldest brother included and several other relatives were also killed in a raid carried out by regime security forces in the neighborhood. As the war came into full force, Homs and its residents will be the very first to taste its bitterness. The first chemical weapons launched on the revolutioners targeted al-Bayada, Homs was also one of the first districts to fall under siege.

The first months of 2012 marked a definitive shift toward the militarization of the standoff between regime and opposition. As armed battles liberated numerous Homs neighborhoods from regime control, a carnival-like atmosphere descended on the mass demonstrations, Sarout at the very center of many of them, chanting the songs that became anthems of the revolution nationwide, such as “Our Homeland is a Heaven” and “Longing, Longing for Freedom,” two which were especially associated with his name.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured on the shoulders of protesters

Homs, gradually transformed into an arena of open warfare, with pro-regime militias perpetrating horrifying sectarian massacres of civilians with knives and other weaponry, while regime rockets, artillery, tanks, and eventually aircraft carried out countless assaults on rebellious districts. This led to Assad’s forces re-occupying several quarters, including al-Bayada, most residents of which were displaced by attacks that laid waste to vast portions of its infrastructure. The neighborhoods remaining outside regime control, meanwhile, were subjected to a steadily tightening siege, their exit and entrance points closed off and ringed with snipers.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured in his military uniform

It was abundantly clear by the spring of 2012 that the regime sought to kill and displace as many residents as possible of these insubordinate neighborhoods, and to isolate and besiege the areas it was unable to recapture by military force. While continuing his involvement in the peaceful demonstrations, Sarout began at this time to take up armed resistance as well. His faction named the “al-Bayada Martyrs’ Brigade,” took part in attempts to liberate his neighborhood anew, during which he was wounded for the first time by a bullet in his foot.

By mid 2012, the regime had essentially succeeded in encircling Homs’ Old City, which no longer had any channels to the outside world except a few roads monitored around the clock by regime snipers, who prevented the entrance of any meaningful quantities of food, medicine, or ammunition. The city had now lost hundreds of residents to the killing, and tens of thousands more had left to seek refuge elsewhere—in Homs’ other neighborhoods; in other parts of Syria; or in the world at large outside Syria—leaving a few thousand civilians, and a few hundred fighters, remaining under the siege.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured holding a child

The siege, that was to end only after over two years, was strikingly one of the most difficult periods of Sarout’s life and those who knew him were left in awe at the noteworthy transformations he underwent. The siege, like in other areas of Syria was critical. People were cut off from literally everything, the bombing seemed endless. Food ran out. Water ran out. Winter came in and then in summer. Children starved to death. People were malnourished. The endless shelling left Homs in the rubble, as houses were leveled down. The situation was so critical yet the residents of Homs, together with other major besieged areas saw nothing but silence from the world. In one word all that the besieged people of Syria could grasp of the outside world was ‘betrayal.’

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured posing for the camera

Life in besieged Homs brought a shocking story to the world and the soldiers it had produced left the world silently in awe. Speaking in a documentary on al-Jazeera, Basit recalls the days of the siege, he says, the people were taking down their furniture to burn as firewood during the coldest days of winter, there was no food and he is grateful for the mothers who made a broth out of grass to keep people alive. The regime’s chokehold was so total that those inside were resorting to eating tree leaves and cat meat. By 2013, the scholars in Homs released verdicts that it was now permitted to eat cats, dogs, and donkeys. Thus, the Homs that was once a smiling playground for the little kids and dozens of kittens witnessed a drastic change, it was now a silent graveyard, seldom awoken by the shelling of aircraft.

Sarout's contribution towards uplifting the morale of the besieged, the ill, the elderly and little kids was significant, he was loved by his people, he was an important leading figure in the revolution. Even during the darkest days of Homs, the little kids couldn't hold back a smile when approached by Sarout. 

Footage released, shows Sarout taking a break from the front lines to visit the hospitals. He is often seen visiting homes of the detainees or martyrs, singing to enliven thier hearts, and as he says, it is an honour for anyone here to say that we have a martyr in our family. He sings to the orphans, truly from his heart, odes of serenity. His voice is one that brings light although there still remains the darkness. 

Like with other parts of Syria, the siege of Homs sifted out the toughest of the tough. Sarout, along with his comrades sought solace with Allah alone during these dark moments. The youth, aspired by fellow brothers hastened towards the path, they by now knew well, was the only path to success. Abandoned by the entire world meant nothing to them, all they now fought towards was preserving their Faith. The Sunni population that was once too afraid to even hint their beliefs, were now facing the world superpowers including their regime, boldly declaring their faith. Declaring their willingness to shed every drop of blood to honour Islam.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured in the aftermath of a bombing, cleaning a Qur’an

Sarout along with his comrades tried repeatedly to break the siege without success. He decided, therefore, to leave Homs with a few others through underground tunnels and sewers, this journey took around three weeks and it required unspeakable amounts of sacrifice and determination. He hoped to obtain assistance to confront the ever-tightening siege. But these attempts didn’t pan out as hoped. He wasn’t able to get the necessary assistance, and it didn’t seem there was anything he could do from the outside to end the siege.

Basit and a few other comrades motivated by him decided to return to the besieged city to help resist the now-total siege by whatever means were available. Once inside, he and his brigade waged a martyrdom battle against regime forces that failed once again to break the ring of steel. Many of the brigade’s fighters were killed, and Sarout lost his second brother. He was also injured himself by yet another bullet to the leg. The 2013 documentary film Return to Homs, follows Sarout at this time. At the end of the film, Basit is shown laid out on a makeshift hospital bed, waking up after an operation on his wound, which the field surgeon was unable to mend properly. Heavily anesthetized, slurring his words, but with tears of grief in his eyes, passion and concern in his heart, he tells those around him:

“Don’t let the blood of the martyrs go in vain, don’t waste their blood, for Allah’s sake don’t let their blood go in vain.” Raising his voice, he yells, “We don’t want money, we don’t want anything else; kill me, but open a road for the people under siege.”

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured while his leg recovers

Once the winter had passed, and Sarout’s leg had healed, he and his fellow fighters resumed their attempts to break the siege, again without success. Despite the bleakness of the circumstances, Sarout never ceased to sing in parallel with his armed activity, appearing in numerous videos in which he performed renditions of songs, perhaps the best-known from this particular period being “For the Sake of Your Eyes, O Homs.”

In late 2013, talk spread of negotiations underway to remove the besieged fighters and civilians from Homs through an agreement with the regime. Sarout and the al-Bayada Martyrs’ Brigade were among those opposing the idea of leaving, not just rhetorically but physically: in January 2014, they launched the so-called “Battle of the Mills,” in which their fighters dug a tunnel toward the city’s flour mills, hoping to break the siege, or at least transport an amount of flour back to the hungry residents of the encircled neighborhoods. Basit along with his comrades formed an alliance of around eighty men to reach the flour mills. He says, speaking in a documentary on al-Jazeera, he was just not going to give up, how could he along with other fighters leave the besieged people, their homelands, their pride and enjoy life in other areas whilst al-Bayada starved, as he watched the little children scream out of hunger he knew he had to do something, if its not us, then who? The operation failed, Sarout lost another two of his brothers and around sixty men were killed and he says, although the operation failed and the martyrs fell, their reward is with Allah if Allah wills.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured preparing meals during the days of Homs

In February 2014, Sarout appeared in a video, where he held a demonstration, he is seen chanting before a crowd against withdrawal from Homs, negotiation with the regime, or reconciliation with it. Evident in the video is the stark transformation Sarout had undergone since losing his city, four of his brothers, and untold numbers of friends and comrades: the only flags visible in the footage are the black-and-white banners of Tawheed. The besieged, he said in effect, would place their faith in Allah alone from now on, and would not accept to enter into truces with the regime as had happened in other areas of Syria, most of which resulted in betrayal on the part of the regime.

Less than three months later, on May 2014, the regime’s green buses were carrying out the first of their forced displacement operations, taking Homs’ remaining fighters and civilians to the north of the province. The situation was unbearable as it reached the degree of brutality, starvation, and torture beyond what any human is capable of bearing. Sarout was forced to leave his beloved hometown; Homs’ al-Bayada, after the majority of the besieged agreed to cut a deal, seeing no alternative to it but death by starvation, sniper, or shell. During the siege, despite critical conditions, Sarout and his comrades controlled about 80% of besieged Homs. He says, speaking in a documentary, The Guardian of the Syrian Revolution, tha Assad’s regime did not regain control of their city of Homs by force, they did it by starving the people.

After exiting besieged Homs, Sarout was transformed, he never felt at home in other parts of Syria as much as he didn’t feel at home in his own homeland of al-Bayada. He was physically and emotionally displaced. He was a foreigner, yet in his own county. Despite all the trails, he never gave up on his vow, he never gave up on his fight, he never gave up on his people. He continued taking up arms against the regime and moved between various locations and frontlines, among them al-Dar al-Kabira and al-Rastan. Since the province itself was also besieged, conditions for the opposition brigades therein were dire. Sarout found himself heavily involved in the internal conflict between fellow armed groups fighting the regime during this stage, something that he has clearly distanced himself away from, even before leaving his hometown of al-Bayada. Brotherhood was something that he emphatically chanted to tens of thousands on the streets of Homs al-Bayada during the early days of the uprising - Sarout was now going to truly prove his words in the coming years of the Syrian uprising, which is significantly notable from a 23-year-old immersed in a history of sectarian life.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured as the crowd welcomes him after leaving Homs

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured as the crowd welcomes him after leaving Homs

By mid-2015, Sarout lost his father, five of his brothers, four of his uncles and several other family members and friends at the hands of the Assad regime. He survived a total of four assassination attempts from regime forces. Despite his injuries, he was seen continuing his return to the battlefields. Each time showing a fresh yet passionate yearning for martyrdom.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured as he browses the internet

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured playing with a child

By the end of 2015, Sarout decided to leave Syria, as current circumstances forced him to escape, due to conflict between the armed groups in Syria.  Although he had no wish or desire to leave the battlefield or Syria, he traveled to Turkey, where he moved between Gaziantep and Istanbul. He held demonstrations in Turkey for support towards Syria, particularly Aleppo, the eastern half of which was then under siege and soon to be re-occupied and emptied of residents by regime forces after a devastating offensive. During his stay in Turkey, he tried various means to solve the dispute so he could return to Syria, as he says, describing himself and his comrades, we are men of war. His heart deeply desired to re-embrace Syrian soil.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured holding a protest in Turkey

By early 2017, after the fall of Aleppo, Sarout was able to re-enter Syria with the help of negotiations between the armed groups fighting the regime. However, a few months after his return to Syria, Sarout was kidnaped and imprisoned in solitary confinement for 37 days by fellow armed groups, only to be released after the intervention of family intermediaries. Upon his release he continued taking up arms, shifting from group to group, not deterring or faltering at any point, he kept to his morals, his principles, his vows, his brotherhood. Even though, his stance of brotherhood, by refusing to fight any counterpart armed groups, contributed much to his detention. He reluctantly spoke about the internal conflict when questioned about it, he respectfully explained his case, having no intention to tarnish his fellow comrades, as he says, for their praiseworthy sacrifices for the people of Syria and instead he pointed towards more relevant issues. He went as far as referring to the group that detained him as his brothers in Islaam, and that he forgave everyone for their errors, regardless of the group.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured alongside fellow comrades from various groups

The unique characteristics of brotherhood displayed from the young Sarout within the grasps of one of the world's most bloodthirsty regimes are extraordinary, Sarout thus deservingly earns the title of being the guardian of the Syrian Revolution, its nightingale and overall, its goalkeeper.

The modest 25-year old Sarout responds to the given titles, he says,

“I don’t have titles! People call me the guardian of the revolution but the revolution has its own guardians. People call me the singer of the revolution but the revolution has its own singers. My name is Abd al-Basit Sarout, one of those who believed in the revolution. I respect what people say, I am just like any one of them, I don’t like praising leaders nor anybody else. We should praise only martyrs, the injured and the detained. They are the true heroes.”

As the years draw by, Sarout’s military activity at this time did not keep him from singing and chanting, uplifting the morale of the injured, the ill, the families of inmates, the elderly, the children and his fellow brothers and sisters. Videos from this period show him reciting martial-themed poetry on the frontlines, rifle in hand; and singing the classic “Our Homeland is a Heaven” at peaceful demonstrations. To the end, he remained as active as possible in confronting the Assad regime by any and all means available. As Sarout’s fight intensifies and the war reaches its peak, as he shifts from group to group, media platforms labeled him a ‘terrorist’ and a ‘Salafi Jihadist’, they question his initial approach towards the uprising and what he became of after Homs, he responds to their naive claims saying,

“We came out with olive branches and bare chests. But when the whole world lets you down, when you show demonstrations, protests, with no racism or sectarianism, and you’re fought, then you have no choice but to take up the weapon.”

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured during a demonstration in Syria

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured on the front lines 

By May 2017, Basit receives the dreaded news of yet another death. This time it comes after five mysterious and painful years. Ossama, the journalist friend of Sarout who disappeared back in the days of the Homs siege has been pronounced dead by Assad forces, after dying from torture wounds in the notorious Sednaya military prison. Just the mention of Ossama’s name after these years is sufficient to shatter the young Sarout, he re-lives his early days in the uprising and what became of his brothers. As he says, oblivion is the greatest blessing to man from Allah, although it doesn’t really help. You forget and then remember again. For Sarout, today certainly marks a day he wished he wouldn't have to ever remember again.  

Footage released shows the young Sarout, sitting alongside fellow comrades from various armed groups in Syria. Unity, as he says, is what the Assad regime fears the most, thus he sacrificed and took the initiative to maintain the brotherhood in hope of ceasing the Assad regime by using one of the most powerful weapons against the enemy, unity. Basit was one the rare public figures in the Syrian war showing a  passion for brotherhood of this degree, from refusing to fight his brothers in al-Dawlah he held the flag of al-Nusrah high, while he flew the flag of al-Tahrir in his right hand, his left hand waved the Free Syrian Army flag. The legendary acts of Sarout, are now but a legacy.

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured alongside various armed groups

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured alongside various armed groups

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured alongside various armed groups

Abd al-Basit Sarout pictured alongside various armed groups

By March 2019, Sarout holds a demonstration at the Idlib university, this marks his final demonstration as thousands of students rally to welcome him. The university, amidst the years of destruction, remains a guiding light for the youth of Syria, the students get credit for their remarkable progress despite the bitter conditions.  Sarout, uplifts the morale of youth who truly deserve this day, as he chants:

“Do we anticipate support from the states? No! Do we anticipate support from the politicians? No! Do we anticipate support from the leaders? No! The people of the revolution anticipate support from whom? From Allah!”

This also marks Basit’s final oath of the revolution. In an enthusiastic voice, he proceeds to the oath, reminding the students that it flows from the heart. These words that he once chanted to thousands over the past eight years are about to be engraved in the hearts of the youth, as this marks the final oath:

“We swear by the Almighty, we will not abandon this revolution! We swear by the Almighty, we will not remain silent over the blood of the martyrs! We swear by the Almighty, we will not forsake the detained! We swear by the Almighty, we will protect our women, our children, our martyrs, our lands, our religion and our detained, until the last drop of blood! We gain either victory or death!”

The final song that we would hear from Sarout, comes just a few days before his death. He sings, and although his voice is heard by millions, it is as if the voice is heard for the first time. June 2019 marks Sarut’s final Ramadhan, as he sings his concluding ode:

“Syria, Ramadhan came and after Ramadhan came Eid, it is the ninth (month), O precious one, and the bitterness only increases!”

During the final battles he fought in the north and west of Hama, Sarout was on the front lines, appearing in a video in early June 2019, speaking excitedly of progress made in the Tal Malah region. After the liberation of the area between Tal Malah and al-Jubbayn, Sarout learned that a group on the rear lines had been injured by bombardment, as his early chats for brotherhood resonated in the streets of Homs so was the now 27-year-old Sarout’s passion for brotherhood reiterating as he heads to the scene in his car to aid his injured brothers.

As soon as he turned on his car, the area he was in was shelled, though without injury to anyone. When the car began moving, however, there came a second wave of shells, and Sarout was wounded in his stomach, leg, and arm, and taken to a medical site in Khan Shaykhun. Those aiding him then wanted to move him to the al-Dana Hospital in northern Idlib Province, but his heavy bleeding forced them to stop in Ma’arrat Misreen along the way to give him blood. Once at al-Dana, his injuries were brought under control, and his condition stabilized. On 6 June 2019, he was transferred via the Bab al-Hawa crossing to a hospital in the Turkish town of Reyhanlı, and then to Antakya, where his condition deteriorated, much of which was caused by his repeated movement and severe blood loss as no hospital in Syria is fully equipt to treat these emergency cases.

On the morning of 8 June, Sarout passed away as a result of his injuries, bringing an end to a short but epic life full of religious transformations, battles, and blood. His body was returned to Syria to be buried in the town of al-Dana in Idlib Province. At his funeral, the body so often carried on the shoulders of crowds was raised one last time by mourners chanting for him, rather than with him, burying him away from the Homs he had spent his last years fighting to liberate anew and return to.

Thousands gather at the funeral procession of Abd al-Basit Sarout in Idlib

Thousands gather at the funeral procession of Abd al-Basit Sarout in Idlib

Thousands gather at the funeral procession of Abd al-Basit Sarout in Idlib

Basit did not live to witness his dream of a triumphant victory for Homs. Sarout will never return to Homs’ al-Bayada again and it is likely that many of his fellow comrades would never return to it again.

Basit was asked about the conquest of Homs and if he was not with his brothers to witness it, he replied:

“First of all, if Allah wills, we will all meet on the Day of Victory, of course, God-willing we will be victorious because our goal is one and we are asking for what is right, if I am not there to witness victory, then you will be victorious and I would be a martyr if Allah accepts my sacrifice, the greatest victory is one where Allah accepts our deeds after we die, that is the greatest victory.”

With a calm yet teary voice, he continued, giving his bequest

“I wish that all people will perform Sadjah al-Shukr (prostration of thanks) to thank Allah when victory is achieved. That all people will be rallying at the main square in Homs, al-Saa’a, and prostate the prostration of thanks unto Allah.”

Loved ones bid farewell to Abd al-Basit one last time 

The people of Syria did not remain silent over the blood of Sarout, as thousands took to the streets of Syria, and elsewhere including Turkey, Denmark and London in support of the revolution. 

Leaders of the Syrian armed groups sent their support and condolences to the family of Sarout, they honoured his mother, who lost six sons and her husband to the regime, congratulated her on her contribution toward the revolution.

The Sarout they once lovingly raised up on their shoulders will never be there again with his melodious voice, the Sarout they once awaited to light up their streets with his youthful motivations won’t be seen again, the Sarout that once soothed the anguished child will never return, the Syrian factions that were once held together by Sarout's passion for brotherhood will never find a leader to replace him, neither will Homs al-Bayada see him again.  Although he left us, his dedication remains, his legacy remains, the people of Syria will not give up, the youth will not forsake him, nor let his blood go in vain, They will not let him down. God-willing. 

Sources and references •    Al-Jumhuriya •    Wikipedia •    OrientNews •    Al-Jazeera •    A Return to Homs