The Martyr Who Lived

The annals of the Syrian revolution are rich with tales of heroes, but the most heroic one I know is that of my brother Zuhair.

When the revolution broke out, Zuhair was just 16 but he participated in it from the start. He took up photography, and was one of the most dedicated young men documenting events in our neighbourhood.

Zuhair worked with different media organisations, and was arrested by the government several times. Thankfully, due to his young age, he would eventually be released, but only after receiving his fair share of beatings.

In 2012, the revolution took a new turn in Douma and became militarised.  My father’s car was stolen and he disappeared. We still don’t know where he is, but we believe the government put him in prison.

In early June 2013, Zuhair decided to join the ranks of the Nusur al-Sham battalion as a war photographer. When the government cut off Douma’s flour supplies, there was a battle to free the mills in Adra. Zuhair was there to document it.

He was stationed in a farmhouse with a platoon of 16 fighters who were battling government soldiers. Four of his comrades were quickly martyred, and the ammunition supplies exhausted. Those who remained tried to contact other fighters for back-up, but the battle was at its peak and no one could come to their aid.

They had no choice but to fight for their lives. They resisted the Syrian army for hours. To them, death was a far better option than falling into the hands of government soldiers.

By noon, all the rebel fighters had been killed. The only survivor was my brother.

Hearing government soldiers advance on the farm, he smeared himself with the blood of his fallen comrades and lay down amongst them pretending he was dead. His arm had been badly injured so he made sure to display his wounds.

The soldiers entered the farmhouse and examined the bodies, looting the rebel’s personal belongings. One of them stepped on Zuhair, but he held his breath and fought the urge to scream out in pain. He knew he would suffer a terrible fate if they discovered him alive.

The soldiers soon left the farm to re-join the on-going battle. Once my brother felt safe, he bandaged his wounds and searched for a means of contacting his commanders, but all the communication equipment had been destroyed or stolen.

He thought of venturing outside, but froze and shut his eyes again when he heard another noise. When nothing happened, he opened them and was surprised to see a few chickens rushing into the building for shelter. He and they were the only survivors on the farm.

Exhausted and frightened, my brother settled down and waited for a miracle.

After the sun set, Zuhair decided to crawl out of the farmhouse and try to find a Free Syria Army (FSA) station. He finally reached one and his comrades rushed to help him. They brought him back home to Douma.

My mother had been terribly nervous and not herself all that day. We tried to calm her down, but in vain. When my injured brother walked through our front door, supported by his rescuers, she hugged him tightly and wept. She only released him when he cried out in pain from his wounds.

Later that night, over dinner, my brother told us his tale. When he recalled how he had managed to trick the soldiers by faking death, he laughed in glee. We found no joy in his story but we couldn’t stop smiling, for he was alive and amongst us.

From that day on Zuhair was known in our neighbourhood as the martyr who lived. His story travelled wide and far and he was interviewed by many journalists, including Al-Jazeera’s reporter Ahmad Zeidan.

Sadly, our happiness for his return from the dead was short-lived. Once he recovered, Zuhair rejoined the battle for the flour mills. He was martyred in Adra on June 16, 2013.

That very short period he spent with us after he came back from the dead was his final farewell.

Samar al-Ahmad is the pseudonym of a Damascus Bureau contributor who lives in Eastern Ghouta and works in humanitarian aid provision. She is married with one daughter.

Read the Arabic version of this article here