On January 17, 2013, the independent Egyptian news website rassd.com posted a video featuring the last testament of Muhammad Mehriz, an Egyptian who was killed recently in Syria while fighting in the ranks of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Muhammad (27) was the brother of Yasser Mehriz, the spokesman of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood (MB), who also reads out his statement in the video.
According to reports in the Egyptian press, Muhammad himself was not an MB member, nor was he known to be affiliated with any other political group or to be an extremist Muslim. He worked as a lawyer at a private firm in Cairo. He is survived by his wife Sheema (24), who is a doctor, and their 5-year-old daughter.
A friend of his revealed that in the month before he left for Syria, Muhammad Mehriz approached Al-Azhar scholars and asked them what the shari'a says about waging jihad in Syria. The scholars questioned him about his life, and after he assured them that he was not choosing jihad in order to evade problems at home or at work, but out of a desire to fulfill his duty towards Allah, they told him that the shari'a does not prohibit him from setting out for Syria, and he decided to leave immediately. He was killed on February 12, 2013 in Aleppo.[1]
Dr. 'Issam Al-'Aryan, deputy chairman of the MB's Freedom and Justice party, posted a message on his Facebook page in which he sent his condolences to Mehriz's family and especially to his young widow who, Al-'Aryan said, had encouraged him to set out for the battlefield.[2]
MB member Mahmoud 'Amer, on the other hand, stressed that the MB does not actively encourage Egyptians to join the fighting in Syria. In an interview with the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen satellite channel, he said: "People who go to Syria do so at their own peril, just like those who go to Afghanistan. It is a completely personal decision… It is not the MB's decision [to send] people to Syria to fight in the ranks of the [Syrian] opposition…"[3]
In his last testament, Muhammad Mehriz states that he went to Syria in order to fulfill his religious duty towards Allah and in order to help the Syrian people in their plight. He makes provisions for the care of his family and for the handling of his property, and enjoins his wife and children to lead a devout Muslim lifestyle.
The following are excerpts: [4]
Muhammad Mehriz with his daughter[5]
"This is the last testament of… Muhammad 'Abd Al-Magid Muhammad 'Ali Mehriz:
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"I went to Syria for the purpose of fulfilling a religious duty that many members of our [Islamic] nation have neglected, namely, the duty of [waging] jihad. The Prophet said: 'When a group of people abandons jihad, suffering comes upon them.' He also said… 'If you abandon jihad, Allah will bring humiliation upon you, and will not remove it until you return to your religion.' We see all sorts of suffering and humiliation as a result of the Muslims' failure to perform this duty.
"I studied the subject of the Syrian refugees, and learned about it and became aware of many tragedies. Allah ordered us to help the suffering and the victims of injustice, so I could not stand by while my brethren were being slaughtered… I was also inspired by the Prophet's words, 'You should go to Al-Sham, for the very heart of the land of the believers is in Al-Sham'… I was especially inspired by the two [Koranic] suras of Al-Anfal and Al-Tawba, and I advise you to study them and teach them to your sons…
"Please pray for me… that Allah allow me to sacrifice my life for his sake…
"I bid my wife and family not let sorrow distress them [overmuch]...
"I bid all my children… to raise their own children in a God-fearing way, and bring them up to benefit Islam and the Muslims…
"[Next to the five Pillars of Islam], the most valuable element of Islam is jihad for the sake of Allah…
"I bid my wife Sheema to educate our daughter in the proper way, as we planned, namely, according to the Islamic curriculum, removed from the [standard] state education…
"I also bid her to honor my mother and to make every effort to treat her as I would have. Likewise with regard to my brothers and their children.
"As for my money, I have no debts. My only possessions are my motorcycle and my bank account, no. 26804 (BNP Paribas Bank, Sheraton Branch). I wish for a sum of 2,000 Egyptian pounds to be set aside for an ongoing charity (waqf).
"I name Hazem 'Abd Al-Magid Muhammad Mehriz the legal guardian of my minor children, and authorize him to delegate [responsibilities] to my wife or to any one of my brothers in any matter he thinks may benefit my children.
"Finally, should Allah destine me to sacrifice my life for His sake… I bid you: do not be impatient. Rather, persevere and rejoice, and pray that I be accepted [by Allah] with forgiveness and mercy…"
