Four Sydney brothers who fled to Syria in an alleged attempt to join Islamic State fighters have been described as “simple boys” by family friends.

Speaking to Fairfax Media, close family friend and Islamic community leader Jamal Rifi said the boys were disorganised and ill-equipped to handle the demands of ISIL.

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“They are not sophisticated, they don’t have much life experience, and they have been taken for a ride,” Mr Rifi said.

“The mother, she’s questioning why would they go there. Two of them barely can walk; they’re very unfit, and obese.

“We are hoping that these people over there [in Syria], they say ‘They are coming to eat all of our food. You may as well go back to Australia.'”

Two of the four brothers – aged 17, 23, 25 and 28 – reportedly weigh in at over 140kg each.

The boys told their parents they were travelling to Thailand before boarding a flight to Turkey and crossing the Syrian border.

They broke the news of their decision via a text message to their mother.

According to their family, the brothers were so disorganised they missed their original flight out of Australia and were forced to rebook for the following day.

Mr Rifi said there was still time for the men to redeem themselves and return home.

“There is that window of opportunity if they want to come back, before they get their hands in some other people’s blood, to realise that the decision was a wrong decision and to come back,” he said.