In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate:

May two homes be preserved
One for peace, the other a haven for hope

The land of Dilmun*, with great heritage
The birthplace of glory and generosity 

Its people are my people
And long have I respected it

I accepted this invitation for more than one reason.

Firstly, I witnessed the birth of this university and saw the difficulties and challenges that it went through moving from place to place with little funding, but it is here today due to the founders' optimism and patience. The university was ailing, but, thanks to Allah, it has survived.

Secondly, this visit gives me the opportunity to see my brother and friend King Hamad of Bahrain and other brothers in the government and the private sectors.

To me, this University is a successful example of Gulf cooperation. Today, I am pleased to see students from all the Gulf nations; this is an achievement in itself.

We never stop learning. That which is new today will be old tomorrow. In our fathers' time, a university degree signified that one had finished learning, but I tell you that it represents the start of your learning.  PhD holders and teachers have to keep developing themselves or they stagnate. There's no end to knowledge, so I want you to be optimistic because optimism leads to opportunities.

Some people say, "I want an opportunity", but opportunities come to those who are prepared to take them. As you move from theory to practical experience you will face what some call difficulties. I call them challenges, because when you see something as a challenge it means you can handle it, and if you look for the positive you will find it.

I am reminded of a project that seems to involve ploughing the sea. I was talking about this project when someone told me I was making a mistake by trying to succeed where the UN and UNICEF have failed. I looked at him and said, "If you talk this way, you have already failed, so you shouldn't be on the team that will handle this task."

I thought for a while, then said, "Of course, we have ploughed the sea; our forefathers gathered pearls and we ploughed the sea and created the islands of The World project. The sea is bountiful; one does not stop trying just because one has achieved one's first goal."

Learning is an ongoing process. For instance, there are serious, chronic diseases nowadays such as cancer, paralysis, blood pressure and diabetes, but in the future we will be able to treat these diseases quickly and effectively. We must continue to learn.

A female graduate of UAE University asked me, "Mohammed, when you were our age, did you ever imagine that you'd be able to achieve what has been and is being achieved?'' 

I recalled my first trip to Europe with my father when I was a child and said that then I started dreaming about the time when we'd compete with and surpass those people.

I have had this dream my whole life. We have achieved but a little so far, Allah willing, there's a lot more to come.

I read a verse of poetry that says:

The garden cannot choose
Whether to grow thorns or branches

I disagree:

The garden has the choice
If sown, peaches and pomegranates will grow

You have a choice; if one grows olives, one will harvest olives and if one grows thorns, one will get scratched.

Due to the many challenges I've faced, I've become a lover of challenges. A day without challenges would bore me. I always find a solution; nothing is difficult. They say time is golden, and I say time passes as swiftly as the water in a river; you can't step in the same river twice. The river offers us a good example: when water meets resistance in the form of a stick, it changes direction and still manages to reach its destination - the sea.

Of course, you will find people who will speak from frustration and tell you what can and cannot be done. Those who tell you that something can't be done are failures and I pray to Allah that you won't follow their example.

I tell the people around me that this universe contains both the positive and the negative, and that Allah created the universe and He gives you what you ask for. If you focus on the negative, Allah will give it to you, and if you believe in Allah and ask Him for happiness and success, He will grant them to you.

Today, I think you have achieved certain things, but now you must move from theory to practice, which means you must learn through experience by interacting with people. I am still learning; whenever someone thinks that he knows everything, he stops moving forward.

Led by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, we who are your brothers in the UAE are racing the wind, no, we are racing time to improve education because we believe that everyone needs knowledge in order to keep pace with development.

Life is full of challenges that must be faced, and we need knowledge if we are to face them. Nowadays, there's a term that may surprise you: post-modernity. After post-modernity, I think things on both sides of the Atlantic will change.

Continuous learning will not make us forget our traditions, customs and our Arab and Islamic values. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation is willing to sponsor any student who wants to pursue higher education.

For those who want to enter the job market, after Bahrain has taken all the graduates that it needs, we invite you to come to the UAE.

May peace be upon you.

*Sumerian name of an ancient independent kingdom that flourished c. 2000 BC  and that is identified with Bahrain