“المقياس قطر (The measure is Qatar)”

There is no literal translation for this saying, but in essence it means that whatever is done is done for Qatar – not for personal gain, recognition, or ego, but for the benefit of the nation and its people. This single phrase is the compass that guides me in all I do. On my personal platform, it is my motto, learned from my Yuba, who lived it as his daily reality. He put his country and his people before himself. Whenever we were together, it was always about Qatar. There was no line between a day in the office and a family vacation – matters of state occupied him always. He possessed a magnetic personality, a contagious charisma, and a profound ability to mobilise us all behind his vision: The belief that Qatar deserves the best.

Under his guidance, ideas that once seemed like distant, unrealised dreams became powerful realities, ones that would inspire and incubate Arab talent from all over the world. Many of those talents told me that it was only in Qatar that they felt proud to be Arab.

Yuba came to power, and gave up his power, in the most unusual way. His objective was always to transform our nation from poverty into a strong economy that prioritised the human soul above all else. He ascended to transform, and descended to empower his beloved son, intuitively trusting that he had fulfilled his commitment and could entrust my brother to carry the legacy forward. For him, “المقياس قطر” meant bringing youthful leadership to the helm of the throne. In my last moments with my Yuba, he spoke of how proud he was of my brother – and in hindsight, I understood that his abdication, however unusual for our region, was intuitively the right thing to do. He gave all he had to give,........

© Al Jazeera