The bravery of Ahmad Al Ahmady stands in stark contrast, a brilliant light against a dark void. Both he and the Bondi Beach gunmen were Muslim. Yet on one side, lives were ruthlessly taken; on the other, lives were heroically saved. This divergence forces us to ask: where does true Islam stand?
Do Not Transgress
To understand the heart of Islam—its guidance for those in the crucible of conflict—we must turn to its timeless principles. Consider the advice of Sayyid Sistani to those fighting the brutality of ISIS in Iraq. Within his words lies the key to understanding our solemn duty in light of the Divine command:
“وَلَا تَعْتَدُوا ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُعْتَدِينَ”
“And do not transgress. Indeed, Allah does not like transgressors.” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 190)”
This is not merely a revelation; it is the foundation. In his advice, Sayyid Sistani recalls the profound tradition from Imam Jaʿfar al-Sadiq, peace be upon him, who narrated the final instructions of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him and his progeny, to his soldiers:
“Do not indulge in acts of extremism, do not disrespect dead corpses, do not resort to deceit, do not kill an elder, do not kill a child, do not kill a woman, and do not cut down trees unless necessity dictates otherwise.”
Sayyid Sistani then pierces the soul with this truth: “What great travesty it is to kill innocent souls, and what great honour it is to safeguard innocent souls.”
Lives Are Sacred
Here lies the sacred covenant of Islam: an unbreakable sanctity for innocent life. To shoot, to judge, to execute without due process is not justice—it is transgression. Islam has no sanctuary for such terror.
True justice flows only through the riverbed of law: evidence, charge, and equitable punishment. No individual may usurp this duty, for to do so is to shatter the harmony of society itself.
This principle is etched deep in the Islamic conscience. Sayyid Sistani further recalls Imam Ali’s thunderous warning to his governor, Malik al-Ashtar: “Be vigilant! Do not spill the blood of the innocent without any right to do so, for nothing is more inviting of wrath, greater in evil consequences… than the unlawful spilling of blood.”
This is the mantle of the real Muslim Warrior: a guardian of justice, a shield for the innocent. History bears witness. During the long Iran-Iraq War, the Islamic Republic of Iran called off critical attacks—not once, but repeatedly—upon learning a target’s innocent child was present. The enemy’s son was just a boy. The operation was suspended, lest an innocent soul be lost.
Such is the painful, precise care demanded: a car passing by, a child in the area, an unarmed stranger—all must cause pause. This sacred restraint is why Iran refuses to join the nuclear weapons race. Such devices are the antithesis of this covenant; they are indiscriminate, devouring the innocent and the environment alike. Their word is their bond. After Saddam Hussein’s chemical atrocities, Iran possessed the capability to respond in kind, yet chose never to do so.
This restraint is a weight that bends the shoulders of the Muslim Warrior. It is a difficult path, one that may even incur military loss. Yet, as Sayyid Sistani affirms, such a loss is “more spiritually rewarding, everlasting, and of greater benefit.” A benefit that echoes not only in the hereafter but in the peace and conscience of this world.
Warn Before You Fire
He advises further: “If you fear Divine Wrath… issue a warning. Direct your bullets away from the target. Apologize to your Lord, taking precaution not to kill an innocent soul.”
This is the Art of War in Islam. This is the Muslim Warrior—the one who heeds the teachings of the Ahlul Bayt, of Imam Hussain, of the Holy Quran.
I leave you with the Quran’s eternal revelation, which perhaps captures the very essence of that day on Bondi Beach:
مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَا أَحْيَا النَّاسَ جَمِيعًا
“Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land – it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.” (Surah Al-Ma’idah, 32)
On one side, a soul-slayer. On the other, a soul-saver. The difference between them is the distance between heaven and hell.
A Question
A real and more urgent question now remains, given the events that have occurred and will likely to continue to occur, a question that is not merely about Bondi Beach, but about what profound and ongoing violation of humanity and source of man-made human suffering —what relentless, televised slaughter of innocents in Gaza, what repeated assaults on life in Lebanon and Yemen— what aggression against the innocent people of Iran – could poison a heart to the point of committing such a horrific, misguided, and sinful retaliation.
The cancerous disease must be diagnosed at its source. And the tumour be removed.
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