Al Maktoum weddings: What Emiratis had to say about the marriage of Hamdan, Maktoum and Ahmad

Dubai: It’s been a few days since the announcement of the Al Maktoum weddings and the surprises are still growing strong.

On Saturday night, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, expressed his boundless happiness at the wedding of his three sons, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad, Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad.

Praising his three sons in a poem, Shaikh Mohammad recalled how he raised them and how he spent nights caring about them. He also noted that the first thing he taught them was to love the nation, the homeland.

Later that night, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, in a tweet said: “My heartfelt congratulations to my brother Mohammad Bin Rashid on the occasion of the marriage of his sons … Hamdan, Maktoum and Ahmad … A great joy throughout the country … I bless my three sons … Wishing them a long time of success and joy and an overwhelming family happiness.”

By Sunday morning, the Emirati community were still revelling in the news as the video of the celebration went viral on social networking sites.

The video, which is almost one minute long, recorded the Mawlid – known in the local dialect as Maalid – were traditionally held on the occasion to celebrate the Prophet’s Birthday (PBUH) or when a boy is circumcised.

In the video, viewers can see two rows of men sitting in a formal majlis while reciting poetry known as nasheed. 

Maytha Ahmad, from Dubai, described the upcoming wedding celebrations as an important event in everyone’s lives. “Its great news for us all because its like hearing that a family member was getting married. At the end of the day, we are all happy for Shaikh Hamdan and his brothers because they are part of the Ruler’s family, who we look up to as if he were our own guardian. I am delighted for them just like I would for my own brothers. And for these girls who are crying or upset, to be honest, they should be happy for them.”

Sabahat Al Bastaki explained that she and her friends were excited that the three sons of Shaikh Mohammad were getting married. “We were delighted. A wedding is a joyful time, and for it to happen during the month of Ramadan is even better. The video of the Mawlid was shared by everyone because the words were beautiful. I am excited to see how all the shaikhs have grown and now, I will be able to see their children grow up too. This is not just one joyful occasion but three.”

Ahmad Al Yousuf, a longtime follower of Shaikh Hamdan’s Instagram account, said that after so many years of waiting for the wedding to take place, he was happy to hear that the big day finally arrived. “For many years now, we heard about Shaikh Hamdan’s engagement and wondered when the wedding would happen. And now it finally did. I heard that he and his fiancée have great personalities and are awesome people. I wish them all the best.”

Reem Al Suwaidi said that this was a hot topic for Emiratis because it was a surprise, and a very good one. “We are very happy that three members of the ruling family are settling down, and it truly is a blessing. Even though we know the customs of the ruling family and that photos are not posted on social media, Emirati women are interested to know when the wedding will take place, how it will look like, and what kind of decorations there will be.”