KUALA LUMPUR: The date Jan 20 will forever be etched in the memories of Muhammad Abdul Hadi Yusli and his twin brother Abdul Hakim.
The date not only marked Abdul Hadi's wedding day, but it was also the day when he and his brother were finally reunited with their biological mother after 24 years.
The brothers, 25, who hail from Trong, Perak, were separated from their mother, Mingga Bella Aprilensy, 49, who is also an Indonesian citizen, when they were just one year and six months old after their parents were separated.
A video of the reunion taken at Abdul Hadi's wedding to Nurul Nabilah Sabuddin, 25, in Bagan Ajam, Penang, went viral recently after Nurul Nabilah shared it on TikTok, touching the hearts of social media users.
Abdul Hadi said he did not expect the video to receive widespread attention but thanked everyone for their positive comments and prayers for their family.
Sharing their story, Abdul Hadi said they lived with their father after their mother returned to Indonesia. They then lost contact with their mother.
Abdul Hadi said he and his brother had been trying to find their mother since they were 13 years old before they found her on Facebook (FB) and exchanged phone numbers.
"I messaged my mother, who lives in Kalimantan, Indonesia, and asked if she still remembers us, her sons, Hadi and Hakim, before she replied 'yes'
"We continued to communicate over the phone, but at that time we couldn't meet because we both faced financial constraints, and my twin brother and I were still in school," he said yesterday.
Abdul Hadi said that after getting engaged in July last year, he invited his mother to attend the wedding ceremony and expressed a strong desire for her to be present on the happy day to share the beautiful moments together.
"My mother said she came with nine people, including siblings and friends, a day before the ceremony. She was at the ceremony and saw me reciting the marriage vows," said Abdul Hadi, who works as a production crew member.
He added that although he and his twin brother had never met their mother and didn't have any shared memories with her, they acknowledged their deep love and longing for her.
"There is no hint of anger or resentment towards our mother for leaving us because we understand the problems faced by our parents.
We never asked for her reasons for leaving because that was in the past, so it's better to let it go.
"We love our parents because, without them, we wouldn't be here today. It saddens me when she says she doesn't want to leave us and that we will meet again," he said, adding that they also plan to visit their mother in Kalimantan to meet their family there.