Mohammed bin Rashid to Mohammed bin Zayed: Congratulations to you, this nation, my brother... and congratulations to us, you - Sarmad
The Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, sent a message to the President of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, in which he said: “A message to my brother Mohammed bin Zayed, to my brother, my friend, and my companion on this journey, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. May God protect you and care for you, and guide your steps on the path of goodness. To the brother who shared with me our love for Zayed, and in whom I saw Zayed’s wisdom, mercy, and foresight. I came to know you, my brother, as a friend, a companion, and a close relative. I came to know you, my brother, as a man, a leader, and a wise ruler. I came to know you as a chief, an inspiration, and the commander of our people.”
He added: “I came to know you as a man of words, of positions, and of principles. I came to know you, in the liberation of Kuwait and in the Kosovo war, as a field commander. I came to know you, in the world’s crises and disasters, as a compassionate, empathetic man, passionate about goodness. I came to know you, in your international relations, as a wise politician and a statesman who commanded respect for his country on the world stage. I came to know you, my brother, as a President of the nation, generous with your people, trustworthy guardian of your children’s future, compassionate, tolerant, and dignified with all residents on your land.”
He continued: “My brother Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, when a little girl leaves her house every day—she is a child who knows nothing of the intricacies of politics or the complexities of the economy—she goes to her school feeling safe. She walks through the streets of her country and sees beauty and order. She arrives at her school and sees on its walls that her country has reached space, and that her nation’s aspirations touch the sky. This little girl dreams that she will become someone, and that she will make her parents proud of her, and that she will one day raise her country’s flag like other heroes in her nation. When this little girl dreams with certainty, and trusts that her future in her country is great, we know that you have fulfilled the trust, and realized your dreams for our nation and our generations. Instilling confidence, security, and optimism in the hearts of our children is your greatest achievement, my brother.”
He added: “Congratulations to you on this nation, my brother… and congratulations to us on you. Congratulations to us on the children who set off for their schools every day in safety, security, comfort, and peace of mind. Congratulations to you on their big dreams and their passionate hearts. Congratulations to you on their future, which you build for them before they grow up to see it.”
He said: “My brother Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, I follow you, and the world follows you, on your leadership and historic journey… We follow how you transformed your aspirations into institutions, your ideas into projects and initiatives, and your international relations into economic, political, and investment bridges that bring benefit to the UAE. We follow, my brother, how you transformed educational institutions from services into national sovereign priorities that define our place in the world, and how you transformed wealth into building new sectors, future industries, and an economic foundation for the generations of the UAE. We follow, my brother, how your country has become wiser than the era in which it lives, more prepared for the future than the environment in which it operates, and more capable of continuity and resilience than the surrounding circumstances.”
He added: “My brother Mohammed bin Zayed… life has taught me that cities are built, infrastructure rises, and facilities are constructed, but more important than all that is the spirit of the nation that unites everyone, preserves stability, inspires generations, and awakens the enthusiasm of youth. And today, you are this spirit, my brother… you are the spirit of the nation… Hearts unite around you, crowds follow behind you, borders are protected by you, and people gather around you with one heart, one hand, and a fervent national spirit.”
He continued: “Life has taught me, my brother, that civilizations do not decline by chance, but when they stop developing, and when they settle for past achievements. And you, my brother, inherited a great state from Zayed… but you did not stop or settle. You strengthened its stability, diversified its economy, consolidated its relations, and propelled it to keep pace with the new frontiers of human knowledge.”
He added: “Life has taught me, my brother, that the greatest threat facing nations is not the dangers at their borders, but the complacency that creeps into the hearts of their youth as they shift from a culture of achievement to one of entitlement. And you, my brother, have invested in people… You taught the youth that luxury does not preserve what the forefathers left behind, and that seriousness and discipline in our country are the foundations of construction, and that prosperity and progress are responsibilities and honors, not privileges or luxuries. You taught the youth, my brother, that what we inherited is not a reward, but a trust that we must enhance before handing over the baton to those who come after us… and that the goal is not to create wealth, but to build generations capable of creating wealth and engineering the future.”
He concluded his message by saying: “My brother Mohammed bin Zayed… a person is not measured by the powers they possess, but by the responsibilities they bear. Today, you carry the trust of children in their homes, and dreams in their minds… You carry the trust of building a generation that will complete the journey and preserve the legacy… Today, you carry the trust of a nation and of shaping a future for generations who have not yet grown up to see it… A trust you have committed to fulfilling before God, history, and the people… And we witness that you are fulfilling it rightly. We and your people are with you, my brother, on this great journey… a journey that generations will immortalize, God willing, and that history will record in letters of light. May God guide you, my brother, protect you, and direct your steps on the path of goodness.”
