Al-Asbah was a disciple of
Izz ad-Din al-Qassam, a
Muslim reformist preacher and anti-colonialist activist. During the 1936–39 revolt in Palestine, al-Asbah led a rebel band of about 15 men who often set up night time checkpoints to ambush British military and
Jewish targets before withdrawing to nearby villages and
grottoes before the night's end. His rebel band was largely destroyed in a British ambush near the
Galilee village of
Arraba in mid-1937. Al-Asbah is also known for fighting several battles alongside the Syrian commander
Said al-As. Following a battle in
Nabi Yusha', the British Army offered a reward of 1,000 Palestine pounds for Al-Asbah, dead or alive. Around March 1938, the British authorities received information on the location of al-Asbah's hideout and besieged al-Asbah and some of his men at a grotto near the border with
Lebanon. After they used up their supplies, the rebels began emerging from the grotto opening fire one by one, all being gunned down by British forces. According to local accounts, al-Asbah was the last rebel killed in this confrontation. He was killed by a shrapnel wound to the head and his body left was on the battlefield for 40 days, with the residents of nearby villages wary of retrieving it and being consequently punished by the authorities. Ultimately, residents from the village of
Sa'sa' buried the body in their village and informed his family of his death. ==Commemoration==