A 74 year-man in Kogi State, Muhammad Awal on Sunday broke decades streak of bachelorhood as he got married for the first time in an event that witnessed a mammoth crowd of well wishers in Lokoja, the state capital.
Awal who had given up, stated that he was destined to marry this late, got married according to Islamic rites to 45 year-old divorcee, Rahmat Muhammad.
To him, despite encouragement from family, friends and even some Islamic teachers that he should be brave and approach a lady he liked for marriage, he said his lack of financial capacity had held him back several times.
“I have always been afraid I might fail in my duty of care to a spouse if I married and it is something I fear and don’t want to joke with.
“I am also afraid of separation from my spouse. I know if I fail to take care of her, she might either leave me or cheat on me with another man, which I would not like. So, to avoid all of that, I dismissed the idea of marriage altogether. But now, Allah has made this a reality.”
On whether he has ever approached a woman to proposition marriage before, “I have. Many. This was when i was much younger. Many of them looked down on me, mostly because of my
Asked whether he would have long been married had his financial situation been different, he replied in the affirmative, even as he added that if God had designed it differently, it would still have not been possible.
On what attracted him to his new wife and whether he would sire children with her, he said, “Apart from the fact that she is beautiful, she is also down-to-earth, understanding, religious and rooted in the marital institution.
“Only Allah knows if we are going to have children. You never know what the Almighty can do. It is not in our hands, but His hands.”
In her reaction, the new wife also admitted that it was destined that they would end up as a couple and prayed Allah to accept their wishes towards each other.
On her choice of Mallam Awal, “why not him? she retorted. Allah has a reason for bringing us together and my prayers is for him to bless us and give us peace and understanding in our home.”
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