Dear Rami I cannot imagine the scene your kids and your loving ones celebrating your birthday without your physical presence although you are amidst them unseen watching them…..I was really feeling the pain in myself…. May God Bless you always Rami…..May you console everyone especially your little children Denny
Each weekday morning for two years I registered Rami’s form (4T then 5T) and on most of those days I also taught the class English. This amount of contact time, especially at the formative age of 15/16 years, gave us all a strong connection and the sense of being a family unit. They were a boisterous bunch, as you’d imagine, full of vitality and a sense of fun (as well, of course, of intellectual curiosity) and this spirit is captured in a photograph of the form which I took on our last day together. In my last email to Rami, just weeks before his sudden passing, I attached a copy of this photo as a nostalgic memento of happy days some 20 years ago. His reply was a single word, ‘Amazing!’
As a Dulwich school boy, Rami embodied many of the qualities which were so apparent when I had the good fortune to meet up with him by chance many years after he’d left school; modesty and charm, courtesy and wit and above all a sense of ‘still waters running deep’. My chance encounter with Rami around ten years ago was in a street in Beirut; I caught a glimpse of him as his car drove off from outside my hotel and I managed to contact him through another former Dulwich pupil whose family were showing me the city. We met up and drank mint tea, and I was struck by the warmth of his welcome and the wisdom beyond his years which seemed to lie within. I remember the beads which he held, and moved, as we spoke and I recall that, beyond the anecdotes which we shared, a sense emerged of his personal vision.
We kept in touch, exchanging emails from time to time, and we next met in Dubai. Rami spoke with great passion of a leadership programme with which he was involved and of the developments which he’d been able to make in the family business he was now heading up. We also compared notes on our daughters, who are of a similar age, and looked forward to them having the chance to get to know each other. I still hope, one day, they will. As I checked out of the hotel at the end of my stay I was informed that the bill had been taken care of – Rami’s generosity was, true to his style, deftly and discreetly managed.
The photograph which I sent to Rami now forms part of his website, another piece in a jigsaw which, little by little, is coming together to form the portrait of a great man; a credit to his old school, his family and his people.
I am born on March 7th 1977.
Today i was surfing for a suitable job offer in FPI website and noticed Mr. Rami’s individual website.
I dont know something touched my heart, since i a born on the same year as Mr. Rami and we are of the same age.
Its very upsetting to know that he passed away in this young age.
Maybe God has called Mr. Rami to be with him to do more achievements and wonders as he had done on earth.
SS.Raj – Chennai, India.
May his Soul Rest in peace w allah yer7amou ya rab.
we all have one thing in common: our admiration of a man who never quits until the job is done. That man, of course, is Rami,,,,
Rami, was a great man with big plans and dreams, I still remember your message about “FPI – Revolution” in 2006 and I will never forgot your gift (I am still keeping it and I will keep it forever) in FPI-KSA.
(( اللهم اغفر له وارحمه, وعافه واعف عنه, وأكرم نزله ووسع مدخله, واغسله بالماء والثلج والبرد, ونقه من الخطايا كما ينقى الثوب الأبيض من الدنس, وأبدله داراً خيراً من داره, وأهلاً خيراً من أهله, وزوجاً خيراً من زوجه, وأدخله الجنة وأعذه من عذاب القبر ومن عذاب النار ))
وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُواْ إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ أُولَـئِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ صَلَوَاتٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرَحْمَةٌ وَأُولَـئِكَ هُمُ الْمُهْتَدُونَ
Although I had never met Hajj Rami in person, I feel I knew him for long now after walking though each and every word written about him. His departure is an enormous loss not only to his family and friends but to all human-kind. I cannot find the suitable words to express my great sorrow but I think after looking into his daughters’ eyes … he is still there .. each one is carrying part of him (الله يحميهم ويبارك فيهم). Please accept my sincere condolence may almighty Allah rest his soul in peace in shaa Allah.
وجاء في حديث أبي موسى الأشعري رضي الله عنه أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم قال:(إذا مات ولد العبد، قال الله عز وجل لملائكته: “أقبضتم ولد عبدي؟” فيقولون: نعم؛ فيقول وهو أعلم: “أقبضتم ثمرة فؤاده؟” فيقولون: نعم.فيقول:”ماذا قال عبدي؟” فيقولون: حمدك واسترجع، فيقول الله عز وجل: “ابنوا لعبدي بيتاً في الجنة وسمّوه بيت الحمد”
{إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ}
I only just heard of his passing. I am numb and deeply affected. Yes, he went too early. But more to the point, he had so much ahead of him. He was one of the purest visionaries I have ever met. When he was with YAL Dubai, he recruited me to help develop an entrepreneurial initiative to create a promising future for young people across the Arab world. I worked closely with him, communicating several times a week, and was always struck by his easy charm, his keen and penetrating insight, his compelling humanity and his focus and sense of mission. I will miss him terribly – to know that he was there was to feel the presence of a person committed to life. Oh Rami, may angels always be with you at your rest!
How to begin writing you a message when I know you only through the closest people you had in life… I have thought and though and rethought how to put into words the overcoming emotions I feel from everyone’s life that you were part of. You have made such an impact on so many people that I feel cheated of never having been able to meet you. How can someone who is spoken of so highly have been taken so young…some things I will never understand.
I get to see a part of you every day through your beautiful daughters and family: a smile, a memory, a picture, a story. One always feels compassion for others that lose a beloved person but once you actually integrate their lives, it all of a sudden hits you. I have been totally taken back by emotions of what you have left and there are times when it is too much.
I can only hope to be able to ease May, Yasmeena and Nour through this difficult time in any little way I can. I needed to write to you, to tell you that I try and make them smile every day, to make them look ahead, to keep their heads up high and to give them overbearing attention, love and care.
Mum ! your birthday was a few days ago , almost a week has passed.. we celebrated your life it in the best way we can by honouring your memory and announcing the Chair of Governance in your name at AUB and a yearly scholarship & Award at IC…. You were with us through every minute, you were there in the eyes of your kids who were so proud to have a father like you…From far away you gave us pride and comfort.. From far away you smiled and greeted us…
For years you have not allowed us to blow any candles on your birthday, saying mum, we should not celebrate BD, this is only for kids, for us every day is birthday! Same like when you grew up and stopped bringing me breakfast in bed on mothers day, you told me, why we have one day a year to celebrate mothers day, I celebrate it every day ! I thank God for giving me such a wonderful mum !!!
Well, I thanked God every day for having you, and now I thank Him for taking care of you ….
Your kids though wanted to celebrate your birthday their way, they wanted to have a cake and blow the cake, the three of them together pretending you are there blowing the candles too… I could not say no, deep down I knew you would not mind for this to happen….
Can not say enough how much I miss you, how much we all miss you.
May God have Mercy on you and on us …
LOVE YOU ‘MUM
Happy Birthday baba !! It will be hard celebrating without you but I think I can handle it ,I wanted to make you a suprise birthday party and scare you as an vampire but I know we can not do it because u are gone . I love u so much i will always remember u . U will always be in my heart !
His absence is greatly felt, but he’ll always be present in our mind. May his soul rest in peace.
Sami Assaad.
Rami, you were so kind, so humble, always a nice word to everyone! We all miss you!
