A tough battle is a place where subtle moral concerns are not taken seriously. As a general rule, things that are condemned under normal circumstances are not typically mentioned as violations of rights in a war situation. In this context, General Soleimani’s “awareness of ethics” in the midst of bullets and shrapnel flying all around was a remarkable, thought-provoking phenomenon. When the sound of firearms going off in a war zone could be heard here and there, the general would give a short speech to a group of Resistance fighters who were preparing to carry out a difficult operation against Daesh. Perhaps for those who are familiar with war literature, the first idea that comes to mind from the moral speeches of General Soleimani is that the general was advising his forces to refrain from assaulting prisoners or treating women and children brutally.

 But this assumption reflects something far narrower than Martyr Soleimani’s moral concern as a Muslim. Perhaps one can see a fragment of Martyr Soleimani’s moral concern in his own words where he said, “We, who are here, must be careful about what is permissible and what is forbidden. ... We cannot just take over people’s homes.” The idea that the body and soul of civilians in the war zone should not be harmed was obviously one of the principles of Martyr Soleimani’s war ethics, which were based on Islamic principles and thoughts. But the general’s recommendation was that even people’s property and homes in war zones should not be seized or attacked, let alone their bodies, lives, and souls.

Reminding others to observe moral principles was never enough for Martyr Soleimani. He was also a complete manifestation of his beliefs himself, and he repeatedly acted in accordance with his beliefs in scenes of action. For instance, one time when he was in the war zone fighting the Daesh in Syria, General Soleimani prayed in an abandoned house. After praying, he asked for permission and forgiveness from the owner of the house in a letter and even left an address and number where he could be contacted in the letter so that if the owner of the house had a complaint or request from him, he would be able to contact him.

His strict observance of ethics on the battlefield not only included human rights. It also included the rights of animals and the environment. There is a video of the general visiting the war zone. He suddenly notices a stray cow and asks the driver to pull over. He approaches the cow and feeds it some of his own bread and food. The scope of Martyr Soleimani’s moral concerns was sometimes so extensive that it included Iran’s mountain gazelles. One time in the middle of a battle against Daesh in Iraq in the winter, he contacted IRGC headquarters and asked his colleagues to prepare fodder for the gazelles that lived on the mountain near the barracks, because it was difficult for them to find food in the cold winter.

Martyr Soleimani: A general who surmounted moral heights besides military heights - Khamenei.ir