A 33-year-old Malaysian man who married a 104-year-old woman said it was “God’s will” that he tie the knot with someone old enough to be his great grandmother.
For her part, the bride said she hoped the marriage would last.
“It may seem strange to those who don’t understand us but I have found peace since we got married two months ago,” Muhammad Noor Che Musa was quoted as saying by the Malay-language Harian Metro.
The daily splashed pictures of a beaming Muhammad with his wife Wook Kundor whose smiling wrinkled face was framed by a Muslim headscarf.
Muhammad, who was a lodger in Wook’s house, said he initally felt sorry for her as she was lonely but over time his feelings had grown stronger despite the 71-year age gap.
Muhammad said it was “God’s will” that they fell in love.
He said many villagers near their home in northern Terengganu state did not understand his decision to marry Wook and some had questioned his motives.
“I know society is cynical but I didn’t marry Wook for her money. She is poor,” he said. “Her only asset is her deep religious knowledge. Through her, I can deepen my knowledge of the religion.”
Wook was quoted as saying: “I hope this marriage will last. I ask that people view our marriage in a positive light as we have not done anything that is forbidden by God.” – AFP