The key part of this story is not that a 110-year-old is marrying, but that his present wife no longer “satisfies his needs.” Of course, many in the West think of marriage in this selfish way also, but the traditional understanding of marriage — for worse as well as for better — is still alive. Under traditional Islamic law, however, a wife is just a servant to satisfy various needs, and that’s all. Do genuine marriages exist among Muslims? Of course. But this is a manifestation of human nature that has no place in Islamic law. The fact that this ancient’s new wife is 30 only underscores her place within the transaction as a commodity.
From AFP, with thanks to all who sent this in:
A 110-year-old Saudi man has taken a second wife because his first, 85-year-old wife no longer satisfies his needs, the English-language daily Arab News said. The report did not explain why the man considered his current wife to be unfulfilling, but it said that his new spouse is 30 years old.