SWEIDA, June 1 (Xinhua) -- Abu Abdullah, 50, has been watching the days of war passing by with people's hearts heavy with troubles and sadness, at a time when encouragement words seem like a luxury people couldn't afford.
Instead of trying to cheer people up with words, the man, who goes by the honorific name of Abu Abdullah, chooses to deliver a message of hope to the people with a scene, a scent, and a rhythm.
In a crowded vegetable market in Sweida city in southern Syria, a different fragrance is making itself distinct amidst the smell of vegetables. An old tune is playing amid the bustle of street vendors and a colorful spectacle separates itself from the green color of vegetables.
There sits Abu Abdulla in his flower shop taking care of the roses and plants with happiness.
"Life is short, and the smile is the hope for a better tomorrow. That's what I want to tell people," he said, pointing to his roses and plants.
"The colors and scents of these flowers are a message that life is beautiful, and the music I play is a reminder of the supremacy of art over violence," he told Xinhua.
The flower shop has given the man strength during the tough time of war when people are racing to secure food and safety in Sweida, which has not witnessed violence similar to that in other Syrian cities, but the Islamic State (IS) launched offensives in its countryside during the war and many of its young men were killed on the frontline.
"Being around these flowers and listening to old music have somehow shielded me from the darkness of war, that's why I wanted my place and myself to be a message of hope for the people who pass by," he said.
Abu Abdullah opens his flower shop early every day and people there have become accustomed to the music he plays on his old music recorder while enjoying the beautiful colors of roses.
With a smile, the man greets people and sometimes he presents roses for the passersby for free.
"This is my heaven. I sit here and watch the pedestrians. Some of them have worries and anxiety in their looks so I play some music to try to cheer them up," he said.
The man said he learned how to take care of flowers from his father who was a farmer and worked in several occupations abroad before returning to his shop in Sweida five years ahead of the eruption of the Syrian crisis. He makes enough money for him and his wife, as his kids live abroad.
People close to Abu Abdullah have advised him to sell vegetables instead of roses as he can make good money out of it, but he refused and insisted on selling roses as a message of hope to people.
"My love and passion are the roses and plants and I live among them far from the ghost of war and bullets," he said.
Still, the man said he gets sad every time he hears the news of deaths and killings during the war because "Syrians are brothers and should live in peace as they used to."
Hussam, a 42-year-old vegetable vendor, said Abu Abdullah has been a source of inspiration to the whole vegetable marketplace in Sweida.
"Everybody loves him because he gave us hope," he said, noting that "at first when he came to his place and started doing what he is doing, people thought he was crazy especially at the beginning of the war when people were so scared. The man used to sit in his shop and listen to music," Hussam told Xinhua.
Abu Ismael, a truck driver, who brings goods to the market, said he got used to receiving a rose from Abu Abdullah every time he comes to the souk.
"This man is a source of inspiration to the people of Sweida and whoever passes by his shop feels the joy," he said.
