“A young girl experienced an unforgettable moment of joy when Sheikh Mohammed warmly greeted her with a high-five, creating a cherished memory that left her visibly delighted and smiling.”
“A Moment to Remember: Young Girl Delighted After High-Five From Sheikh Mohammed”.
What was meant to be a simple family outing at the end of a busy week turned into a deeply memorable experience for a Dubai-based family—one that they say will remain etched in their hearts for years to come.
Like many families across the city, Fathima Zelin and her husband had been looking forward to spending quality time with their children over the weekend. With no grand plans in mind, they decided to step out for a relaxed evening filled with food, light shopping, and entertainment for the kids. Their chosen destination was The Square in Nad Al Sheba, a popular spot known for its casual atmosphere, pop-up stalls, and family-friendly activities.
On Saturday evening, Zelin, her husband Mohammed Ajil, and their two children—seven-year-old Inaaya Aroush and two-year-old Ivaan Hamd—arrived at the venue expecting nothing more than a pleasant night out. At that moment, there was nothing to suggest that the outing would become anything out of the ordinary.
“We just wanted to do something fun and easy with the kids,” Zelin later recalled. “My husband suggested The Square because we had heard about some pop-ups and activities happening there. It seemed like the perfect place to let the children enjoy themselves while we relaxed.”
Once there, the family settled in comfortably. The children gravitated toward the play area, while Zelin and her husband took in the lively surroundings. For about 20 minutes, everything unfolded exactly as expected—until a sudden change in the atmosphere caught their attention.
Zelin noticed a subtle but growing sense of excitement among the people nearby. Individuals began moving quickly in one direction, whispering among themselves and pulling out their phones. The previously calm environment suddenly felt charged with anticipation.
“The kids were busy playing, and we noticed people running past us,” she said. “There was this sudden energy in the air.”
In a light-hearted moment, her husband joked about the unexpected commotion. “He said, ‘Maybe Sheikh Mohammed is here,’” Zelin recounted with a smile. “I laughed it off and told him that if the Ruler of Dubai were really coming, there would surely be a much larger security presence.”
At the time, the idea seemed far-fetched. After all, encounters with world leaders are usually planned, formal, and heavily guarded. The notion that Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum—the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and the Ruler of Dubai—might casually appear at a public venue seemed almost too surreal to believe.
Yet curiosity got the better of them.
As the crowd continued to shift, the family decided to walk closer to see what was happening. What they discovered left them stunned.
Standing just a short distance away was Sheikh Mohammed himself, calmly walking through the area, greeting people and surveying the surroundings with a small entourage.
“We were completely shocked,” Zelin said. “It took us a moment to process what we were seeing. You hear about these moments happening to other people, but you never imagine it will happen to you.”
For many residents, Sheikh Mohammed is a deeply admired figure—someone whose leadership has shaped Dubai into the city it is today. Seeing him unexpectedly, in such a casual setting, felt almost unreal.
“I think it’s every Dubai resident’s secret wish to meet Sheikh Mohammed just walking around,” Zelin reflected. “You read these stories in the news, but you don’t actually think you’ll ever be part of one.”
Caught up in the excitement, Zelin’s husband instinctively pulled out his phone and began recording a selfie video to capture the extraordinary moment. Like many parents, their attention was split—between the surprising sight in front of them and keeping an eye on their children nearby.
In the rush of emotions, neither parent immediately noticed what was unfolding just a few steps away.
It was only later, after the family returned home and began rewatching the video, that they made an astonishing discovery. In the footage, their daughter Inaaya could be seen interacting with Sheikh Mohammed—and receiving a friendly high-five from him.
“We honestly didn’t realise it at first,” Zelin said. “We were so focused on the overall moment.”
Once they noticed the interaction, the couple hurried over to their daughter, who had been playing peacefully in the children’s area.
“We asked her, ‘Did you just get a high-five from Sheikh Mohammed?’” Zelin recalled. “She looked at us and casually said yes, as if it was nothing special.”
The parents couldn’t help but laugh at their daughter’s calm response. For Inaaya, the moment appeared to be a simple, happy interaction—something that did not yet carry the weight or significance it held for the adults around her.
“She was acting like it was an everyday thing,” Zelin said. “There was no drama or excitement—just pure innocence.”
Despite her relaxed reaction, Inaaya was not unaware of who Sheikh Mohammed was. According to her mother, she had learned about him through her UAE social studies classes, where students are taught about the country’s leaders and history from a young age.
“She knew exactly who he was,” Zelin said. “That made the moment even more special for us.”
For Zelin and her husband, both long-term residents of the UAE, the encounter carried deep emotional meaning. Zelin works as a nutritionist, while her husband is employed as a project manager. The family has lived in the country for nearly 15 years, building their lives and raising their children in Dubai.
“This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Zelin said. “It’s something we will always talk about as a family.”
Wanting to share their joy, the couple uploaded the video of the encounter to their Instagram account. At the time, they had no expectations of how widely it would be received.
“We’re actually not very active on social media,” Zelin explained. “We just wanted to share a happy moment.”
After posting the video, they went about their usual routine and did not check the app again for a couple of days. When they finally logged back in, they were completely taken aback by what they saw.
“There were hundreds of notifications,” she said. “Messages, comments, stories—it was overwhelming.”
The video quickly went viral, accumulating more than half a million views and drawing reactions from people across the UAE and beyond. Many viewers expressed admiration for Sheikh Mohammed’s warmth and accessibility, while others commented on the sweetness of the young girl’s reaction.
“The response has been incredible,” Zelin said. “We never expected it.”
The viral moment also sparked excitement within their extended family. Relatives reached out from near and far, eager to hear every detail of the encounter.
“We even had cousins come over and jokingly shake Inaaya’s hand,” Zelin laughed. “They’d say, ‘Please let us touch the hand that Sheikh Mohammed shook.’”
What began as a light-hearted joke soon became a cherished family story—one retold with laughter and pride.
For Zelin, the experience highlighted something she believes is uniquely special about life in Dubai.
“Moments like these show how connected the leadership is to the people,” she said. “It makes you feel seen and valued as a resident.”
As the excitement settles, the family continues to reflect on the extraordinary turn their ordinary evening took. For Inaaya, it may simply be a happy childhood memory. For her parents, it is a reminder of how life’s most meaningful moments often come when they are least expected.
“It’s something we’ll cherish forever,” Zelin said. “We went out for dinner and came home with a memory that will stay with us for a lifetime.”
