At 63, Daad Abdul Rahman may be the patriarch of the largest family in the world: he has 86 children ranging in age from 3 months to 23-years-old. Rahman says he was first married in the late 1960s, and is helped financially by a local sheikh. Officially he can only have four wives at a time, and Muslim tradition dictates that all wives and children be treated equally, so he splits his time between all his families. His various families live in different houses surrounding Dubai, United Arab Emirates, though he won't say exactly how many homes he has. As Rahman sees it, his Muslim religion encourages big families and he is extremely devout. His children say they enjoy being part of an enormous family. “Basically I'm proud to be a member of this family because people are respecting us because of my dad,” said son Rashid. Rahman's kids go to school together and all have a ready-made gang of playmates. He says there have been no serious illnesses in his family, but two children have been lost to accidents. While many have criticized Rahamn's polygamous life, his wives say they support him and one another. His oldest wife, 50-year-old Miriam, said all of them work together and added: “I think of all the children as my own”.
