Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen was an esteemed poet and lyricist. Photo: SPA
Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen was an esteemed poet and lyricist. Photo: SPA
Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen was an esteemed poet and lyricist. Photo: SPA
Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsen was an esteemed poet and lyricist. Photo: SPA

The most notable works of Saudi poet Prince Badr Bin Abdul Mohsin, who has died aged 75


Saeed Saeed
  • English
  • Arabic

Saudi poet and lyricist Prince Badr Bin Abdul Mohsin has died at the age of 75.

The news was shared on Saturday by Princess Fahda bint Fahd Al Saud on her X account on Saturday.

“We belong to Allah and to Him we will return,” she said. “Oh God, Badr is in your hand … illuminate his grave and make it a garden of paradise.”

Prince Badr was widely considered a giant of Gulf poetry, as well as a major figure in Arabic music, collaborating with many notable composers in his decades-long artistic career.

Tributes pour in for the poet prince from across the Gulf

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, who writes poetry under the nom de plume Fazza, described Prince Badr's death as a blow to “lovers of the word everywhere”.

“Absent is Badr who shined with his words a space for poetry, love and feelings,” he said on X. “Sincere condolences and sympathy to the honourable House of Saud and to lovers of the word everywhere. Today we lost a full moon and his light cannot be replaced.”

President Sheikh Mohamed also offered sincere condolences to the poet's family.

Turki Al-Sheikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, described Prince Badr as a father figure.

“May God have mercy on the poet Prince, His Royal Highness Prince Badr bin Abdul Mohsin, forgive him and place him in a spacious paradise,” he said on X.

“My condolences to his honourable family and children, the honourable House of Saud and the Saudi people … I feel I have lost a father of mine, but all I can say is praise be to God in any case.”

A member of the Saudi Royal family, Prince Badr was the son of Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdul Aziz, a former governor of Madinah.

Educated in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Britain and the US, his career spanned the arts in various capacities including stints as the president of The Saudi Arabian Society for Culture.

Prince Badr found critical and commercial success as a lyricist with songs performed Saudi Arabia's most illustrious musicians, including the late Talal Maddah and Mohammed Abdu as well as Emirati singer Ahlam and Kuwait’s Nawal El Kuwaitiah.

The latter also took to social media to pay tribute to a collaborator.

“The Prince, the great poet, friend, father and relative has passed away,” she said on X. “You will always remain in our hearts and the hearts of all those who love you.”

In 2019, Prince Badr was honoured by Unesco on World Poetry Day in a Paris ceremony where he recited a suite of his poetry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Unesco director general Audrey Azoulay praised Prince Badr’s work for its humane message.

“Every form of poetry is unique, but each reflects the universal of the human experience, the aspiration for creativity that crosses all boundaries and borders of time, as well as space in the constant affirmation of humanity as a single family. That’s the power of poetry,” she said.

The most popular poetry and music of Prince Badr

Prince Badr's most famous poem may have been Message from a Bedouin, released in 1990 and has remained a cornerstone in Saudi Arabia's literary circles.

Other notable poems included Important Clouds, A Painting, Perhaps a Poem, as well as What the Bird Inscribes on the Date of a Tree.

Only some of his work has been translated into English, including a selection published by Ithra in 2021, including Above the Peak of the Clouds, Coal, Swings, and On the Brook.

Some of Prince Badr's most popular songs include Nayand Mumkin Tawasalni (Can You Deliver Me) by Iraqi singer Kadim Al Saher and La'Anta Hares Lil Nujoom (You Are Not A Guard to the Stars) by Tunisia's Saber Al Rabei.

Lebanese singer Najwa Karam recently released a song with words provided by Prince Badr.

The ethereal ballad is full of metaphors as it compares the connection between lovers as those who seek great poetry stories.

In what could be one of Prince Badr’s last lyrical contributions, Karam sings: “If they ask my beloved about my name, my beloved … say this is me,”

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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

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The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

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  • Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases 
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  • 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries 
  • This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030 
  • At least one third of common cancers are preventable 
  • Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers 
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Day 1

Toss England, chose to bat

England, 1st innings 357-5 (87 overs): Root 184 not out, Moeen 61 not out, Stokes 56; Philander 3-46

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June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
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June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24
July 8: New Zealand v Lions

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Genes in Space is an annual competition first launched by the UAE Space Agency, The National and Boeing in 2015.

It challenges school pupils to design experiments to be conducted in space and it aims to encourage future talent for the UAE’s fledgling space industry. It is the first of its kind in the UAE and, as well as encouraging talent, it also aims to raise interest and awareness among the general population about space exploration. 

Updated: May 06, 2024, 5:34 AM