On Saturday 22 November 2025, my daughter and I had the honour and pleasure of witnessing two extraordinary people, Mehar and Zia celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in Sydney at their family residence, Dar-ul-Islam in Bonnyrigg.
Amongst close family, friends, and cherished community members who they have soulfully embraced as family (including me and my family), the powerhouse couple of AMUST, Mehar and Zia Ahmad, shared emotional, funny, and soul-warming anecdotes from their five decades long companionship (Inshallah many more decades to come).
All the while, their beautiful and brilliant daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren cheered them on with admiration and complete adoration in their eyes.
Needless to say when the AMUST Ahmad family throws a feast, one experiences what my mother-in-law likes to call “Jannat ki thali” – platter from heavenly paradise. But last weekend’s celebration was so much more than just a smorgasbord of delectable Mughlai dishes and desserts.
It was truly a sweet masterclass in what the essence of a successful and ever-lasting marriage looks like – the foundation and fundamentals of a partnership based on faith, fervour, fidelity, loyalty, service, compassion, kindness, empathy, all of these being what love actually looks like when you don’t have the time nor the need to say “I Love You”.
The incessant barrage of declarations of love via memes, crimson rose bouquets, and ginormous teddy bears hugging scarlet heart-shaped I-Love-You embroidered cushions unabashedly performed today was never a part of the five glorious decades of marital partnership between Mehar and Zia.
It was evident when Mehar’s eyes sparkled with absolute surprise as Zia, with his school-boyish charm, coyly gifted Mehar a ruby and diamond ring for the first time on this very occasion of their 50th anniversary, having realised that in all these years of their solid partnership, he had never once gifted his wife a piece of jewellery.
Instead, he gifted her with unwavering support as she successfully raised their children (who are all brilliant, intelligent, kindest of souls, and accomplished in their respective career fields) and completed first her Bachelor degree, then her Master degree, and now working fulltime. Zia smilingly and with great pride announced that he loves being a house-husband.
As they both shared their individual reflections of their last 50 years together, there was a resounding message – that this journey has not been a bed of roses, and never a cake walk. In fact, they both have anchored each other in times of immense grief after losing their son, and the constant challenges of raising children with disability, and endured their personal health battles.
Marriage counsellors and coaches often reiterate that the power of a solid marriage is love, trust, and respect between couples.
Mehar and Zia epitomise this power in their marriage and go even further by role-modelling to others that when two people who are enjoined in marriage, a beautiful mercy from Allah in itself, are able to rise above culturally imposed shackles of gender-based role divisions through mutual admiration and respect, through mutual support and empowerment of each other’s spiritual and worldly growth, Allah blesses that union with even more love and light.
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