A devout Muslim, AH Rather is the youngest of six siblings, including three sisters and two brothers. His father was Muhammad Abdullah Rather SM (d. 2013), a decorated veteran of the 1962 Sino-Indian War who fought with the Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry and who subsequently joined the J&amp;K police, retiring as a deputy superintendent. His brothers are teachers in Anantnag, one a chemistry lecturer, while his two elder sisters retired after careers in teaching and in the law, respectively; both his parents are deceased. He married his wife Samina in 1993, with whom he has two children.