When a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl got married, they didn’t know what fate had in store for them. Ninety-one years later, the couple confessed they were deeply in love with each other, despite facing some of the worst things in life.
Zechariah and Shama’a’s story is unlike any other. The young couple spent the initial years of their lives in Yemen, where they grew up as orphans and married at a very early age due to the local customs.
Back in the day, people in Yemen favored orphans getting married when they were about ten to twelve years of age. Zechariah and Shama’a also accepted the cultural norm and began living together, unaware of how their lives would soon take a different turn.
Zechariah and Shama’a. | Source: youtube.com/BBC News
Surviving Trying Times
Shama’a recalled that she and her husband never had a lavish lifestyle. After marrying Zechariah, she lived in a donkey barn since the young couple had no house or family. She confessed:
“We suffered. There is no worse suffering than we had experienced. There is none. [sic]”
However, the couple didn’t lose hope or feel disheartened when life didn’t go according to their plans. They became a source of strength for each other, and one day, they witnessed their lives taking a turn for the better.
Shama’a recalls moments from the past. | Source: youtube.com/BBC News
Fleeing Their Country
Zechariah and Shama’a are one of the first people of their faith from Yemen who migrated to Israel in 1948. After living through difficult times in their hometown, the couple started a new life in the land they felt was safe.
When asked what the secret behind their happy married life was, Zechariah responded with a simple answer.
Migrating to the newly-founded state of Israel marked a fresh beginning for Zechariah and Shama’a. Apart from adopting a better lifestyle, the couple became parents to 11 children.
Zechariah and Shama’a. | Source: youtube.com/BBC News
He Loved Joking Around
“I already can’t remember how many there were,” Zechariah joked when an interviewer from BBC News asked him about his kids. The couple also had 64 grandkids and great-grandkids at the time of the interview.
Zechariah referred to his wife as the “first and last woman” he had married. He thrived on teasing Shama’a because he knew she appreciated his humor. During their interview, they revealed they had been married for 91 years.
“I never threw her out,” Zechariah joked. Then Shama’a said something, to which Zechariah replied, “What? Did I throw you away?”
“Okay. Okay. Shhh!” Shama’a responded. The lady enjoyed her husband’s dry wit, which was one of the factors that kept the spark in their relationship alive.
Zechariah during the interview. | Source: youtube.com/BBC News
The Secret behind Their Happy Marriage
Some people might find it boring to live with one person for more than nine decades, but Zechariah and Shama’a are not them.
Shama’a revealed she and Zechariah rarely fought. When asked what the secret behind their happy married life was, Zechariah responded with a simple answer:
“God sent her to me. I was lucky to win her.”
Zechariah recalled that women around him were attracted to him, but he chose Shama’a over everyone else. He added that God helped him and his wife to live together, and Shama’a confessed she was glad to spend most of her life with him.
Shama’a smiles during the interview. | Source: youtube.com/BBC News
The People’s Response
When Zechariah and Shama’a’s story surfaced on social media, netizens couldn’t help but post messages of support for the elderly couple. Here are some of the comments:
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“They have overcome many hardships. Let us be pleased for them.”
Anne Spencer) February 25, 2022
“It’s a beautiful story of two who became the family they needed.”
Deborah Lopez) February 25, 2022
“Wonderful. Congratulations on finding love and holding onto it over the years. God has blessed you.”
― February 26, 2022
“Hard to believe they are both over 100 years old!”
Linda Paterson Lehan) February 25, 2022
Zechariah and Shama’a’s unique story proves that love has no age limit. After 91 years together, this couple is clearly still in love. Share this story with your friends and family. It might brighten up their day.
Click here to read about a couple married for 66 years who reunited in a care home after spending 100 days apart. Their reunion left the care home staff in tears.