What is marriage? In definition, it’s a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It’s a contract. However, it’s so much more than that. To spend the entire life with one person and to compromise to make the commitment work might scare many. But that is not the case with Zechariah and Shama’a. The married couple has been together for almost a century – 91 YEARS! The time together has not been easy, as the couple explains. But quitting or parting ways was never an option.
The couple, married for 91 years, have had a total of 64 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Zechariah and Shama’a have lived to see it all. The married couple reflects on the hardships that they had to face in their life. As a common practice in Yemen, Zechariah and Shama’a were extremely young when they tied the knot. They were 12 and 10 respectively.
Married couple together for 91 years are still in love
Shama’a says, “We both grew up as orphans. He was motherless, so was I. We didn’t lick honey in life. We suffered. There was no worse suffering than we had experienced. There is none. We had no house we cleaned a donkey’s barn and lived in it.” Zechariah talks about his extensive family. He says, “One, two, three. I already can’t remember how many there were. There were many.” After a long marriage, the romance between the two has not fizzled out.
Zechariah is still head over heels for his wife. He says, “God sent her to me. I was lucky to win her. Women flocked to me like a heard of sheep, but I didn’t take any of them. Remember this is my first and last woman that I married and I never threw her out. God protected us all the way and let the two of us die together. May God protect you and give you a good life.” The appreciation is not one-sided. Shama’a says, “Together many years without fighting. Happy to spend our lives together.
