Jihad, the Sufi way

The Mazaars of Roberts road in South Africa is much like many Soofi (Sufi) shrines around the world. There are the two Shrines of the Saints, the graves of the dead and a small Mosque. The whole garden is shaded by jacaranda trees and women like Sara come to strengthen her faith and build up the faith of her child. The mazaar is the resting place of an ancestor, and a place of peace and connection with the core of her Soofi Islamic beliefs.

"I do not believe in war, should people not try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way?" Sara says it is the women and children that suffer most when the men go to war. "Jihad is declared when our faith is threatened and not when two powers are just fighting over land and I do not understand the mentality of the suicide bomber."

Nazeer is a leader in the local Soofi community, he speaks out with great passion for Mohammed the Prophet  and the ways of Allah. "The mujahid is the one out in the front, he will have a clear understanding of the conditions of holy war, why hide a bomb under the vest when the Prophet Mohammed is so clear about the conditions of the defence of the faith?"

The Roberts road Mazaar is an outworking of the Soofi Islamic faith, the peace found among the graves of the departed is so obvious to all who come to this place, flowers and birds abound as the Soofi faithful ask for the ear of the two saints buried in this place.

Sara talks of respect for women and children, she is against all forms of abuse, "secure the place of the women and children first" Sara is for putting ones own house in order. Nazeer wants to promote the greatest struggle of all " the fight against the evil within and wrestling with the desires of the self is the greatest jihad of all" he asks if when the whole street is alight, is it not to your own house that you run first with the buckets of water to douse the flames?

"When Islam must be defended the Koran is clear in our response" Nazeer says "Do not strike first but only in response, do not strike out with wide strokes but with a focused response it is not the broad community that is the target but the one responsible for the crime."

"Be wise in how you deal with these things" Nazeer closes with this " One can always just choose not buy the products of those who offend, by this I mean treat the offender as though they were dead and have nothing to do with them."

It is only a few months now that the Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemis in Pakistan lies dead. He died for speaking out against those who he saw as wrong, a suicide bomber took his life in Lahore after the midday prayer. Here in the small city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa the Soofi Islamic faithful continue to pay homage in this peaceful place, they will continue to talk about a peaceful faith, and they will also continue to bring up their children in their outworking of the Soofi Islamic ways.

The Arabic word Islam means self surrender and is related etymologically to salaam the word for peace as in the Arabic greeting as salaam 'alaikum - peace be upon you.

The Mazaars of Roberts road in South Africa is much like many Soofi (Sufi) shrines around the world. There are the two Shrines of the Saints, the graves of the dead and a small Mosque. The whole garden is shaded by jacaranda trees and women like Sara come to strengthen her faith and build up the faith of her child. The mazaar is the resting place of an ancestor, and a place of peace and connection with the core of her Soofi Islamic beliefs.

"I do not believe in war, should people not try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way?" Sara says it is the women and children that suffer most when the men go to war. "Jihad is declared when our faith is threatened and not when two powers are just fighting over land and I do not understand the mentality of the suicide bomber."

Nazeer is a leader in the local Soofi community, he speaks out with great passion for Mohammed the Prophet  and the ways of Allah. "The mujahid is the one out in the front, he will have a clear understanding of the conditions of holy war, why hide a bomb under the vest when the Prophet Mohammed is so clear about the conditions of the defence of the faith?"

The Roberts road Mazaar is an outworking of the Soofi Islamic faith, the peace found among the graves of the departed is so obvious to all who come to this place, flowers and birds abound as the Soofi faithful ask for the ear of the two saints buried in this place.

Sara talks of respect for women and children, she is against all forms of abuse, "secure the place of the women and children first" Sara is for putting ones own house in order. Nazeer wants to promote the greatest struggle of all " the fight against the evil within and wrestling with the desires of the self is the greatest jihad of all" he asks if when the whole street is alight, is it not to your own house that you run first with the buckets of water to douse the flames?

"When Islam must be defended the Koran is clear in our response" Nazeer says "Do not strike first but only in response, do not strike out with wide strokes but with a focused response it is not the broad community that is the target but the one responsible for the crime."

"Be wise in how you deal with these things" Nazeer closes with this " One can always just choose not buy the products of those who offend, by this I mean treat the offender as though they were dead and have nothing to do with them."

It is only a few months now that the Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemis in Pakistan lies dead. He died for speaking out against those who he saw as wrong, a suicide bomber took his life in Lahore after the midday prayer. Here in the small city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa the Soofi Islamic faithful continue to pay homage in this peaceful place, they will continue to talk about a peaceful faith, and they will also continue to bring up their children in their outworking of the Soofi Islamic ways.

The Arabic word Islam means self surrender and is related etymologically to salaam the word for peace as in the Arabic greeting as salaam 'alaikum - peace be upon you.

The Mazaars of Roberts road in South Africa is much like many Soofi (Sufi) shrines around the world. There are the two Shrines of the Saints, the graves of the dead and a small Mosque. The whole garden is shaded by jacaranda trees and women like Sara come to strengthen her faith and build up the faith of her child. The mazaar is the resting place of an ancestor, and a place of peace and connection with the core of her Soofi Islamic beliefs.

"I do not believe in war, should people not try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way?" Sara says it is the women and children that suffer most when the men go to war. "Jihad is declared when our faith is threatened and not when two powers are just fighting over land and I do not understand the mentality of the suicide bomber."

Nazeer is a leader in the local Soofi community, he speaks out with great passion for Mohammed the Prophet  and the ways of Allah. "The mujahid is the one out in the front, he will have a clear understanding of the conditions of holy war, why hide a bomb under the vest when the Prophet Mohammed is so clear about the conditions of the defence of the faith?"

The Roberts road Mazaar is an outworking of the Soofi Islamic faith, the peace found among the graves of the departed is so obvious to all who come to this place, flowers and birds abound as the Soofi faithful ask for the ear of the two saints buried in this place.

Sara talks of respect for women and children, she is against all forms of abuse, "secure the place of the women and children first" Sara is for putting ones own house in order. Nazeer wants to promote the greatest struggle of all " the fight against the evil within and wrestling with the desires of the self is the greatest jihad of all" he asks if when the whole street is alight, is it not to your own house that you run first with the buckets of water to douse the flames?

"When Islam must be defended the Koran is clear in our response" Nazeer says "Do not strike first but only in response, do not strike out with wide strokes but with a focused response it is not the broad community that is the target but the one responsible for the crime."

"Be wise in how you deal with these things" Nazeer closes with this " One can always just choose not buy the products of those who offend, by this I mean treat the offender as though they were dead and have nothing to do with them."

It is only a few months now that the Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemis in Pakistan lies dead. He died for speaking out against those who he saw as wrong, a suicide bomber took his life in Lahore after the midday prayer. Here in the small city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa the Soofi Islamic faithful continue to pay homage in this peaceful place, they will continue to talk about a peaceful faith, and they will also continue to bring up their children in their outworking of the Soofi Islamic ways.

The Arabic word Islam means self surrender and is related etymologically to salaam the word for peace as in the Arabic greeting as salaam 'alaikum - peace be upon you.

The Mazaars of Roberts road in South Africa is much like many Soofi (Sufi) shrines around the world. There are the two Shrines of the Saints, the graves of the dead and a small Mosque. The whole garden is shaded by jacaranda trees and women like Sara come to strengthen her faith and build up the faith of her child. The mazaar is the resting place of an ancestor, and a place of peace and connection with the core of her Soofi Islamic beliefs.

"I do not believe in war, should people not try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way?" Sara says it is the women and children that suffer most when the men go to war. "Jihad is declared when our faith is threatened and not when two powers are just fighting over land and I do not understand the mentality of the suicide bomber."

Nazeer is a leader in the local Soofi community, he speaks out with great passion for Mohammed the Prophet  and the ways of Allah. "The mujahid is the one out in the front, he will have a clear understanding of the conditions of holy war, why hide a bomb under the vest when the Prophet Mohammed is so clear about the conditions of the defence of the faith?"

The Roberts road Mazaar is an outworking of the Soofi Islamic faith, the peace found among the graves of the departed is so obvious to all who come to this place, flowers and birds abound as the Soofi faithful ask for the ear of the two saints buried in this place.

Sara talks of respect for women and children, she is against all forms of abuse, "secure the place of the women and children first" Sara is for putting ones own house in order. Nazeer wants to promote the greatest struggle of all " the fight against the evil within and wrestling with the desires of the self is the greatest jihad of all" he asks if when the whole street is alight, is it not to your own house that you run first with the buckets of water to douse the flames?

"When Islam must be defended the Koran is clear in our response" Nazeer says "Do not strike first but only in response, do not strike out with wide strokes but with a focused response it is not the broad community that is the target but the one responsible for the crime."

"Be wise in how you deal with these things" Nazeer closes with this " One can always just choose not buy the products of those who offend, by this I mean treat the offender as though they were dead and have nothing to do with them."

It is only a few months now that the Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemis in Pakistan lies dead. He died for speaking out against those who he saw as wrong, a suicide bomber took his life in Lahore after the midday prayer. Here in the small city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa the Soofi Islamic faithful continue to pay homage in this peaceful place, they will continue to talk about a peaceful faith, and they will also continue to bring up their children in their outworking of the Soofi Islamic ways.

The Arabic word Islam means self surrender and is related etymologically to salaam the word for peace as in the Arabic greeting as salaam 'alaikum - peace be upon you.

The Mazaars of Roberts road in South Africa is much like many Soofi (Sufi) shrines around the world. There are the two Shrines of the Saints, the graves of the dead and a small Mosque. The whole garden is shaded by jacaranda trees and women like Sara come to strengthen her faith and build up the faith of her child. The mazaar is the resting place of an ancestor, and a place of peace and connection with the core of her Soofi Islamic beliefs.

"I do not believe in war, should people not try to resolve their differences in a peaceful way?" Sara says it is the women and children that suffer most when the men go to war. "Jihad is declared when our faith is threatened and not when two powers are just fighting over land and I do not understand the mentality of the suicide bomber."

Nazeer is a leader in the local Soofi community, he speaks out with great passion for Mohammed the Prophet  and the ways of Allah. "The mujahid is the one out in the front, he will have a clear understanding of the conditions of holy war, why hide a bomb under the vest when the Prophet Mohammed is so clear about the conditions of the defence of the faith?"

The Roberts road Mazaar is an outworking of the Soofi Islamic faith, the peace found among the graves of the departed is so obvious to all who come to this place, flowers and birds abound as the Soofi faithful ask for the ear of the two saints buried in this place.

Sara talks of respect for women and children, she is against all forms of abuse, "secure the place of the women and children first" Sara is for putting ones own house in order. Nazeer wants to promote the greatest struggle of all " the fight against the evil within and wrestling with the desires of the self is the greatest jihad of all" he asks if when the whole street is alight, is it not to your own house that you run first with the buckets of water to douse the flames?

"When Islam must be defended the Koran is clear in our response" Nazeer says "Do not strike first but only in response, do not strike out with wide strokes but with a focused response it is not the broad community that is the target but the one responsible for the crime."

"Be wise in how you deal with these things" Nazeer closes with this " One can always just choose not buy the products of those who offend, by this I mean treat the offender as though they were dead and have nothing to do with them."

It is only a few months now that the Mufti Sarfaraz Naeemis in Pakistan lies dead. He died for speaking out against those who he saw as wrong, a suicide bomber took his life in Lahore after the midday prayer. Here in the small city of Pietermaritzburg in South Africa the Soofi Islamic faithful continue to pay homage in this peaceful place, they will continue to talk about a peaceful faith, and they will also continue to bring up their children in their outworking of the Soofi Islamic ways.

The Arabic word Islam means self surrender and is related etymologically to salaam the word for peace as in the Arabic greeting as salaam 'alaikum - peace be upon you.