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Reflections of Mtima Solwazi |  |
 Reflections of Mtima Solwazi |
Profile |
Reflections |
Evolution |
Face 2 Face |
Granny |
ROOTS |
Dedication My life has been filled with a lot of challenges and obstacles. I have hurdled many and stumbled on a few. I stood awake many nights pondering over my situations and searched during the day for a solution. My Lord has blessed me with a gift I would love to share with the world. This is the gift of written expression that I discovered at age sixteen. To all those who are longing for the love I longed for, searching for the happiness I searched for, yearning for the guidance I yearned for, desiring the comfort and attention I desired, striving for the knowledge, wisdom and understanding I strove for. And who are awaiting the rewards of their efforts as I await the rewards of mine. This website, which is a reflection of my life and the evolution of my thoughts, is graciously dedicated to my loving wife Hadiyah Solwazi and my beautiful daughter La’Tisha Parkinson. I would like to acknowledge my family members and my brothers and sisters in humanity who have supported me over the years. This website is hoped to provide a sense of hope, joy and contentment to you as it brought to me while designing it. May Allah (SWT) answer our prayers and supplications and may He grant us good in this life and in the Hereafter. Ameen “O my Lord! Bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous; grant me honourable mention on the tongue of truth among the latest (generations); make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss”. (Noble Qur’an: Ch. 26; V. 83-85) These poems are a mirror of my life. They reflect my thought, my actions, my achievements, my blunders, my joys and my sorrows. They reflect my love for the Creator, my-self, the less fortunate and life in general. I hope you reflect on them and gain as much thereby as I do. (Taken from the Book "Reflections A Compilation of Poems" by Mtima Solwazi) |
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| Foreword As human beings, we all have fascinating experiences. We all experience trials and tribulations. We all have joys and sorrows. But very few of us are able to transmit these matters of the heart to others through the medium of the pen. And even fewer are able to do so in the poignant and heart-stirring style as Br. Mtima does in this collection of poems. Here we have an individual who has experienced the world as few others his age have done. Furthermore, he has seen both sides of the coin. His personality and lifestyle challenges the view that man is totally a product of his social environment. Br. Mtima’s life history itself demonstrates that man is capable of rising above the dominant values of his society to aspire towards and even attain higher ideals. These poems represent years of reflection. They document the evolution of his thought and how he discovered truth. They encourage us to enjoy the beauty around us, to appreciate the magnificence of the Creator and to conduct ourselves more responsibly in our daily affairs. They urge us to cultivate a social conscience and a concern for the oppressed. They encourage us to love and to be loved. In other words, they teach us the need for working towards a better world. Since becoming a Muslim in 1994, Br. Mtima has been actively involved in the Muslim community and general community of Trinidad and Tobago and currently holds several important portfolios. He is presently the Director of Daw’ah at the Islamic Resource Society. Co-ordinator and Lecturer in the Elementary Islamic Studies conducted by the IRS. Assistant Secretary of the United Islamic Organizations of Trinidad and Tobago and Executive member of the Muslim Youth Brigade. Br. Mtima was the Secretary of the Education Committee of the Muslim Credit Union co-operative Society Limited and worked as a Typist and Desktop Publisher with the Caribbean Muslim Standard. Currently Br. Mtima works with young adolescents in Servol’s Adolescent Development Programme. He is still relatively young and we all look forward to many more publications from him in the future. In this collection, the author is sharing a part of himself with us. For this, we are forever grateful. We need to read and re-read these poems and reflect upon their depth and beauty. They are both an inspiration and a warning. It cautions the youth in particular to be aware of the dangers of today’s world. I recommend this collection to anyone concerned about the plight of humanity. Dr. Nasser Mustapha, Lecturer in Sociology, University of the West Indies. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago of Trinidad and Tobago (Taken from the Book "Reflections A Compilation of Poems" by Mtima Solwazi) |
Message If art and culture are a true mirror of a society’s soul, then for too long has the Muslim community appeared to be sterile. Despite the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) approval of and wise use of poetry, we hear virtually nothing of Muslim ports. In fact, the only interaction that the popular press shows the world of Islam as having with the literary arts is the condemnation of authors like Rushdie. The Muslims are as much to blame for this state of affairs as our critics, for we have done very little to encourage and promote literature or even the chronicling of our world. The representational arts have also suffered badly by the blinkered vision of some of our leaders. Starting with a prophetic prohibition of the production of images that could be involved in deviant forms of worship, and amplified out of all proportion by those given either to pious excess or fear and rejection to the life of this world, a general blight seems to have descended on our community with respect to the visual arts. One result is that our young people are peppered with prohibitions and told nothing of how they may indulge their valid desires for beauty, rhythm and grace. Thus, ironically, the religion whose Book urges us to seek our share of the good things of this world has come to be seen as rejecting the same.This collection of poems was penned by an author whose attachment to Islam and struggle for human welfare are well known. Hopefully this work will open the eyes of many to a worldview that they have hitherto been unaware. The language strikes home and the pictures drawn by the author’s keen insight demand your attention and will provoke reflection. May Allah bless this effort and may it help to open the floodgates to many more cultural expressions through the eyes of Islam. Bilaal Abdullah, Amir (Leader), Islamic Resource Society. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (Taken from the Book "Reflections A Compilation of Poems" by Mtima Solwazi) |
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Send an email Reach for the Stars When you have a goal to achieve You must first trust yourself and believe That your goal can become attainable Although that goal may at times be invisible So in attaining your goal don’t you be in gloom When you set out, reach for the moon And if perchance you miss you’ll fall among the stars And retain the height of an eagle with the speed of panthers |
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in part of full by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing by the author and publishers. Excerpts taken from Reflections - A Compilation of Poems, Published by Islamic Resource Society, 24 Queen Street, Port of Spain www.islamicresource.8m.com and Printed by Heritage Printry, 118 Southern Main Road, Curepe. Excerpts also taken from Reflections of our Oral Traditions and Evolution - the Re-birth. Design by: Mtima Solwazi, mtimasolwazi@yahoo.com. Send an email |
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