The world of showbiz, with all its glamour and fame, has often proven to be too overwhelming for some celebs. Although it is hard to let go of the glamour once it encapsulates every sphere of your existence, there have been a few Pakistani celebrities who left showbiz for Islam.
Religion and showbiz are two very different fields, and the decision to leave one for the other is a highly personal one that depends on individual circumstances and beliefs. We look at some of the Pakistani celebrities who left showbiz for Islam and recall the reasons behind their decision.
Zarnish Khan
Zarnish Khan received the calling of the Almighty when she was blessed with the opportunity of performing Umrah recently. The beautiful actress shared a picture of her standing in front of the Holy Kaa’ba on her Instagram profile as well as an Instagram Story with a long caption talking about how the world’s affairs get us all distracted from the true meaning of living life.
She also deleted all her photographs from her Instagram profile except one of her in front of the Kaa’ba. She didn’t formally announce her departure from the industry however, her social hiatus is an indication that the announcement to come.
Anum Fayyaz
Actress Anum Fayyaz formally announced her departure from the Pakistani entertainment industry with an Instagram post. Anum hasn’t been working actively in any TV project for quite some years.
Her Instagram feed also has very less pictures of her and the ones there are show her donning a hijab. Despite not being active in the industry, Anum’s association with it was strong. We guess that is why she took the time to announce her complete departure from it via a post to tell her fans who eagerly waited for her return on screen.
Noor Bukhari
Noor Bukhari once ruled the silver screen of Pakistan. But just as glamorous as she used to be on screen, her real life saw her go through some turbulent times. After her divorce in 2017, Noor turned towards religion to find the missing peace and solace from her life.
Noor’s transformation is a thing of public record as she has advocated for living a life as per the teachings of Islam multiple times in public. Noor hasn’t completely broken her relationship with the entertainment industry as she still appears of morning shows however, she does it to promote the message of Islam while donning a hijab and an abaya.
Junaid Jamshed
The entire country knows of Junaid Jamshed’s transformation. For one generation, Junaid Jamshed was the leading pop musical icon of the country with multiple chartbusting songs. However, to the next generation Junaid Jamshed was the voice that exclusively crooned many serene naats.
That is because Junaid Jamshed’s religions awakening had him completely abandon his music career. Instead, he devoted all of his God gifted talents and his platform to spread the message of Islam. Even until his untimely tragic death, Junaid Jamshed was busy in doing his duties towards religion.
Hamza Ali Abbasi
Hamza Ali Abbasi has always been popular in Pakistani circles. His habit of not mincing his words and being vocal about the issues that he endorsed earned him a huge social media following. Hamza announced his decision to quit the acting industry in a long YouTube video and also shared that his journey had been one from atheism to religion.
In the same video he announced that he will be turning towards production and that his projects will promote the beauty of Islam and show the positive side of Pakistan. However, his decision to quit acting hasn’t meant that he’s completely shied away from the industry.
Hamza has endorsed and promoted the two acting projects he did before he made the decision of quitting acting and recently, he even appeared in the 2023 version of Peshawar Zalmi’s anthem, a PSL team he has endorsed for years.
Rabi Pirzada
Singer Rabi Pirzada’s life as a celebrity was full of controversies. Eventually, a popular breach of privacy led to Rabi Pirzada taking the decision of quitting the entertainment industry.
She announced the decision on her twitter after what was one of the most eventful months of her life which started with pythons and led to revenge porn to ultimately, her quitting the industry.
Ali Afzal
The green-eyed actor Ali Afzal is not a stranger to anyone who has followed Pakistani television from mid-2000s till mid-2010s. Ali Afzal was part of many popular Pakistani TV shows and even appeared on TV as a host. The actor decided to quit the showbiz industry after learning more about the religion in depth. He has also changed his appearance to show his association with the religion. Currently, Ali Afzal is busy in preaching and spreading the message of Islam.
Urooj Nasir
Urooj Nasir did many gigs as a model, actor, and TV host. She was no stranger to television and showbiz industry of the country. However, she quit the industry for pursuing a more religious path. Apart from regularly making videos about various aspects of Islam and its history, Urooj also runs a successful clothing store called ‘Hijabeaze’ that offers hijabs and abayas.
Sanam Chaudhry
Known both for her negative roles as well as positive ones, Sanam Chaudhry had earned a good and reputable name for herself in the hearts of Pakistani television fans. However, post her marriage, Sanam decided to quit the industry. She took to her social media and announced her decision. She also removed all her pictures from her public feed. Sanam now uses her social media platform to post about religion.
Sara Chaudhry
Sara Chaudhry had been part of the showbiz industry since a very young age. From early 2000s to early 2010s, Sara Chaudhry’s was a regular sight on Pakistani television screens. She was part of the successful long running soap Tere Pehlu Main before she decided to quit the acting industry.
She shared that her decision to leave the industry was not due to any pressure from anyone but because she was following the call of God.
Feroze Khan
Feroze Khan shocked his fans when he suddenly announced he would be quitting the showbiz industry. The Khaani actor has millions of fans hooked to his dramas, as evident by the amount of views his projects would get on Youtube.
Feroze Khan had been sharing posts about religion and spirituality for some time before he officially made the announcement of him quitting the industry. However, it didn’t take Feroze to retract that statement as Feroze continued to work in dramas and telefilms despite making the announcement.
He then claimed that his Sheikh (his spiritual teacher) had advised him not to quit the industry and instead use his platform to promote the message of religion. Feroze’s last project was Habs. Currently, Feroze is on a hiatus owing to allegations of domestic abuse against him issued by his ex-wife Alizey Sultan.
Abdullah Qureshi
Abdullah Qureshi gained popularity as a singer from his university days through covers of many songs. However, Abdullah Qureshi took to his social media last year to announce that he would be quitting his profession as a full-time musician due to religions reasons.
The announcement came after the singer went on a break when he was accused of harassing women over Instagram DMs. Abdullah admitted to those allegations and apologized for his behavior. He requested not to be contacted again for performing concerts. However, he said he’d be open to have media and public appearances to promote issues that fall within the folds of Islam.
