Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi

This beautiful grand mosque is said to be the vision of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of United Arab Emirates, and it is also where he was laid rested. 
While I lived in the Emirates, I had a chance to meet with quite a few members of the Al Nahyan family. In their family houses, I saw the private photographs of Sheikh Zayed. Unlike some of the public paintings of him that made him seemed so serious, his private photos showed his kind and loving side. Since I was living in Al Ain where he was based, I also got to hear many interesting stories about him from his relatives and friends whose hearts he touched during the time he was alive. One Emirati man remembered when he was a little child and his family was poor, he would catch scorpions and brought them to Sheikh Zayed in exchange for reward money. Sheikh Zayed was a generous giver and was especially kind to the poor and needed.

One of Sheikh Zayed's famous quotes - "Since God, bestows His graces on us providing us with wealth, it is our role to use this wealth for the benefit and prosperity of our people as an expression of gratitude to our Lord."  Compared with other sudden found rich country leaders during his time, he shared the wealth with all his people. He took care of their health and education. He made it possible for UAE to be a rich and peaceful nation as it is today - a perfect example of honouring God with finance blessings and that giving become an act of worship.

The beauty of the Grand Mosque of Abu Dhabi lays not only in its grandness but in all its details.  It is a place not to be missed if you visit Abu Dhabi. Its official website has plenty of good information about the place that will be helpful to read before you go.