Lion playing with the doves

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A FEW days ago, I had a quick visit to Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I was accompanied by my older brother and the objective of the visit was to see one of my relatives in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai is an amazing country, it always fascinates me whenever I visit it; it is like a lady who adorns herself glamorously. Despite being the major tourist destination in the Gulf region, as well as a financial and commercial hub, it is a country ruled by mentality different from the norm under the leadership of Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Last Wednesday, UAE’s Minister of Interior Sheikh Yousef bin Zayed tweeted a poetry dedicated to Sheikh Muhammad.

On the background of the tweet was the famous picture of Sheikh Muhammad playing with his grandchildren spontaneously. The first stanza of the poem reads: “Look at doves playing with the lion, the lion has lost neither its reverence nor its tenderness.”

Naturally, we are dealing with a symbolic message which is beyond the words contained in the poetry that the UAE Minister of Interior dedicated to Sheikh Muhammad to express the inspiration this picture shows in terms of the personally of Sheikh Muhammad.

In short, the message revolves on the close-knit family ties with a solid pillar capable of facing crises. Considering that not everything can be expressed politically, the Arabic poetry is characterized by eloquence which could translate feelings to make it seem like it is happening before your eyes.

Nonetheless, Sheikh Muhammad is an able poet. Without any doubt, he would know the strength of a poem and its ability to elaborate concepts and extract the intended meaning for it to be understood by those who want to do so.

Without any doubt, the poem is beautiful and its words worthwhile. Every stanza deserves contemplation, let alone the fact that the poet is the Prime Minister of the beloved United Arab Emirates.

Dubai will always be the symbol of determination that never dies. All this under a leader with insight and loved by his people. More is to come in terms of achievements. As one Islamic era poet, ‘Al-Mutannabi,’ said: “Resolutions are measured according to those who take them…”

Twitter@alzmi1969

People do not achieve success until they go through stations of tiredness, failure and despair, and the one with strong will power would never stay long in those stations: John Charles Salak (1877-1959).

By Yousef Awadh Al-Azmi

This news has been read 13897 times!