Shihab is married to Sayyida Rawdah bint Abdudullah bin Hamad Al Busaidiyah,[4] the sister of Sayyida Ahad bint Abdullah[5] and daughter of Sayyid Abdullah bin Hamad Al Busaidi, a former Undersecretary for Justice in the Ministry of Justice, Awqaf, and Islamic Affairs and a former Governor of Musandam.

During this time he was also a Deputy Commandant at the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces Staff College.

[17] After his retirement from the Navy, Shihab remained an advisor to his cousin, Sultan Qaboos bin Said.

[1] In March 2020, Sultan Haitham bin Tariq appointed Shihab as the new Deputy Prime Minister for Defense Affairs.

[18] In this role, he has executive powers over all of the country's military[19] and is answerable only to the sultan in defense matters.