From Ashes to Accord
In 2026, rumours and reports circulated about threats to the Gulf that were never fully confirmed publicly. Whether true or suppressed, what was undeniable was the UAE's quiet, steady response. This poem is for that steadiness. The world watched the Gulf expecting collapse. What they saw instead was sumud — resilience that does not shout, but endures. When tested by fire, the United Arab Emirates chose tasamuh, rahma, and salam over retaliation.
This poem is for Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Armed Forces, and every resident who kept the light on through the storm.
Sumud Under the Stars
In the year when the Gulf was tested by fire,
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed stood steady, a Leader to a nation.
Beside him, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid of Dubai,
Building dreams upward while guarding the foundation.
When skies were torn in late February’s night,
Your Armed Forces answered, not with rage, but right.
Ninety five in a hundred turned back by your hand,
So the adhan and temple bell still echo across the sand.
This is tasamuh: tolerance lived, not declared.
A hundred flags, one shelter, all equal, all spared.
This is rahma: care without border or name.
For citizen, for worker, for all who came.
You knew the cost if wrath took the helm,
Water gone, ports silenced, a wound to the realm.
So you chose sumud: resilience that bends not breaks,
Holding the line while the desert awakes.
When Barakah was struck in May, the world held breath,
But the core stood untouched, no whisper of death.
The IAEA bore witness, commendation was clear:
“No leak, no fear. Safety held here.”
And when pens met paper on June the eighteenth,
A memorandum born, not of surrender, but peace.
You taught that strength is the choice to restrain,
That true power keeps a nation’s lamp from the rain.
So we speak this thanks from near and far:
For guarding salam when war was the boast.
May your towers stand, may your palms stay green,
A fortress of mercy, by the world’s trust seen.
Written in gratitude to the people of the UAE from a former resident who knows the value of safety, stability, and second chances. — Antony Ancil
