President Sheikh Mohamed dedicates Father's Day to Sheikh Zayed

UAE leader acknowledges global occasion, which is marked on June 21 each year in the Emirates

Sheikh Mohamed posted an image of Sheikh Zayed and himself to mark Father's Day. Twitter

President Sheikh Mohamed has paid tribute to UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, on Father's Day.

Posting a tribute on Twitter, alongside an image of Sheikh Zayed and himself, he saluted fathers who play an active part in family life.

“I dedicate today to the memory of our Founding Father the late Sheikh Zayed who devoted his life to the UAE and whose legacy continues to guide us today,” Sheikh Mohamed said.

“I salute all fathers who embody the same principles and play an active role in nurturing their families and contributing to society.”

Earlier, Sheikh Mohamed shared a Father's Day message on social media and posed a question to his 4.9 million followers on Twitter, asking for their thoughts on the day, accompanied by a world Father's Day hashtag.

The short message, which attracted a large response from users of the online platform, translates into English as asking whose day it is.

The post received close to 600,000 views and more than 5,500 likes a little more than two hours after being published.

Many who replied took the opportunity to pay tribute to Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Zayed.

One Twitter user shared an image of Sheikh Mohamed alongside his father.

A number of others posted pictures of Sheikh Zayed, who led the UAE as its first President from 1971 until his death in 2004.

Father's Day celebrates and acknowledges the role played by dads in the lives of millions of children.

But the actual day depends on which part of the world you live in.

The majority of countries, including the US, UK, India and the Philippines, traditionally celebrate Father's Day on the third Sunday of June.

That meant it was celebrated on June 18 this year.

The UAE celebrates Father's Day on June 21, as do a number of Arab countries, including Syria, Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan.

Many European countries, including Croatia, Italy, Spain and Portugal, celebrate it on March 19.

Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Papua New Guinea, meanwhile, mark the occasion on the first Sunday of September.