Ayoub Falih Hasan Al-Rubayie (Arabic: أيوب فالح حسن الربيعي; born 1978), known by his nom de guerreAbu Azrael, is an Iraqi commander in the Kataib al-Imam Ali, an Iraqi Shi'a militia group of the Popular Mobilization Forces that fought the Islamic State in Iraq. He has become a public icon among Shi'a Iraqis, gaining a large following on social media. His motto and catchphrase is "Ella Tahin", literally meaning "until/into dust," interpreted to mean "grind you to dust."[citation needed]
Abu Azrael is a Shi'a Muslim who is a former university lecturer and a one-time Taekwondo champion.[4] According to an Iranian source,[5] reports from March 2015 claimed that Azrael is a father of five, and lives an "ordinary life" when not on the battlefield.[6]
Following incidents where he was filmed desecrating the corpses of IS fighters,[7] Azrael stated that he had been told by a senior imam in Najaf that he should pray for penance and "never do such a thing again."[8]
In 2020, he was infected with COVID-19 and suffered lung damage.[10]
Public image
Abu Azrael fought against ISIS, although he has also fought against other[which?] militant groups. By the spring of 2015, he had made front-page appearances on international news websites in England, France and the United States.[11]
He has received a medal of honor from the Representative of the Supreme Religious Authority Sayyid Ahmad al-Safi.[12]