The sunrise of his youth & a glimpse of his deeds

Because of his honorable lineage that relates to the great messenger (cpth) he could approach the high responsible personalities of the ruling Turkish state at that time so that his family could reside in Sarouja Quarter which was called ‘Little Istanbul’, a dwelling place for the Turkish statesmen at that time. He also was able to study in the Royal Ottoman Faculty in Damascus, Amber.

He completed his studies when he became eighteen years old. He graduated in the rank of security officer. He surpassed his colleagues in extreme courage, trust, truth, hard work and his perseverance and continuous work with distinction. He headed many police-stations in Damascus and became director of its counties. He was the example, for no sooner had he taken his position than peace and safety prevailed in the region of his work.

He was the sleepless eye and the unmistakable arrow in the state’s quiver. Whenever the state was confronted by a criminal or a crime, they used to ask for his help. When fear, killing, corruption and criminality spread over a region, he was the saving hope, who kept off danger and liberated people.

When decay began to bite the body of the Turkish state, and the torch of Islam was quenched, corruption and chaos prevailed all over the country until crime reached an unbearable limit, living became difficult, and the days were encompassed by danger, and the darkness of the night was horrifying: except in Damascus, its countryside and suburbs, for security was prevailing as a vigilant eye was watching and a merciful heart was dedicated to peace.

He faced storms of criminals in his work with courage and boldness, and he besieged many guerrillas and arrested their leaders. All his works were crowned in victory and support until he was surnamed ‘Aslan’, meaning ‘the lion’, for his audacity in facing difficulties. By his reliance upon God, he was the only officer who stood in the face of injustice and terrorism so that the criminals and thieves used to surrender to him, fearing his bravery, to offer a plea to his justice, mercy and contentment.

Thus he advanced in the ranks and was moved among the police-stations until he was appointed director of the citadel of Damascus, which contained the warehouses and the prisons. He remained in this position for a very long time during which he achieved glories and displayed bravery that Damascus had never seen before. He was very audacious in freeing thousands of prisoners with capital sentences and putting them in the front lines to defend the country against the infidel enemy. His action was the cause of removing the gallows which were planted by Jamal Pasha, the butcher, in the marketplaces and quarters of the country and which used to swallow hundreds of young men every day. For that reason he was exposed many times to death. Thus Al’lah saved him by His Greatness, His Mercy, and His Assistance.

During the French mandate, as he was a civil security officer, he was returned to his position as the director of a district or the chief of a police-station until the great Syrian revolution took place. Due to his love for God and his noble wish to serve his country, he was the iron arm of the revolutionaries and the aorta of the revolution. Its seal was in his trustworthy hand. He disquieted the French forces with his wonderful experiments in changing retreat into victory and in giving the revolutionaries the greatest arms deal between France and the Greater Syria. He handed these arms, which the French stored in Anjar castle in Lebanon, to the revolutionaries at night. General Catro, the governor of Syria at that time, lost his mind and ordered that Mr. Mohammad Amin be executed, but the Almighty God saved him and his assistant through His Complete Words, and he turned into a very trustworthy man for them despite their error of judgment.