Wedded bliss for Dh1? Dubai's humble brides

Breaking with a long-held UAE tradition, two Emirati couples have tied the knot with the brides accepting the lowest dowry possible. One woman took only Dh1 to marry her long-time love while another asked her husband to take on the sponsorship of two orphans in the emirate. The couples were the first to be honoured as part of an initiative by the Dubai Courts Department. The first woman, identified as Al Anoud, agreed to marry her life partner Ayman after he sponsored two orphans, while the second woman A.A. married M.A. against a Dh1 dowry. The DCD Club honoured the two couples yesterday for being the most content and moderate husbands-and-wives of 2011. It was part of a first-of-its-kind social initiative "the wife with the least dowry" launched by the DCD's Personal Status Section last year. Al Anoud's father gave Ayman, his parents and family the shock of their life when he asked him to sponsor two orphans as a dowry to become his son-in-law. Best deeds Dr Ahmad Bin Hazim, DCD's General Director, and Mohammad Abdul Rahman, the Head of the Personal Status Section, honoured the two couples at a special ceremony yesterday. "Money comes and goes," Al Anoud said. "Meanwhile sponsoring orphans is a righteous and noble thing to do… it is one of the best deeds that a person could ever do in this life. We take such a good and dignified deed with us as it has a spiritual and emotional thing. It's one of the best things to start my marital life with… this was highly recommended by the Prophet Mohammad [PBUH]. Such a dowry doesn't downgrade me at all; on the contrary it's considered one of the most valuable dowries. All my family supported me on it." Meanwhile A.A. was delighted and anxious to marry M.A. for a Dh1 dowry. She said her family and friends supported her. "M.A. was startled when my dad told him that he has to pay Dh1 as a dowry against my marriage. At first the mazoun [religious scholar who performs the wedding ceremony] did not want to carry out the marriage ceremony because he was amazed… but then he was convinced and married us while everybody was dazzled," said A.A. Abdul Rahman of the DCD said the initiative was launched last year to enlighten men and women about the importance of getting married against reasonable dowries. "Recently, it has grown significantly, because it accumulates high costs and expenses on the couple's burden for upcoming years. Such initiative helps raise awareness among couples contemplating marriage and helps them meet marriage expenses easily," he said.