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"I was a sinner for years"-----Junaid Jamshed(former Pakistan's Pop Singer)

Junaid Jamshed was the first pop star on the Pakistani music scene. Atthe height of his career, he turned his back on the world of glitz and

glamour and devoted himself to Islam.

Before Junaid Jamshed radically changed his life to pursue a more spiritualexistence, he was a pioneer

of Pakistan's pop music scene.

"When I came back from a religious tour in 1997, I realized that there was somuch more to life than just singing and jumping around" an insight thateventually prompted his transformation from pop icon to devout Muslim.Junaid Jamshed explains: "When I decided to give up singing, a lot of peoplewere shocked. But I was sure that it was the right decision because Allahforbids the kind of singing that I was doing, and it's my duty to follow Hiscommand."

Since then, Junaid Jamshed has been widely criticized. Many fans can'taccept his sudden departure from the pop music scene. How does Jamsheddeal with this criticism?

"I don't deal with it because I don't worry about criticism. In this day and ageyou simply can't listen to what people say because you are always criticized,in every situation. It's really a shame that I'm always asked why I stoppedsinging. It is Allah's command. Why doesn't anyone ask me where it says inthe Quran that singing is allowed?"

By strictly adhering to the tenets of Islam, as interpreted by orthodoxMuslims, the one time heart throb is barely recognizable these days, with hisever growing beard.

"I wear a full beard because that's the way it should be. Some people mayfind that ugly and unhygienic, but if Allah had commanded us not to wear a

beard and shave every day, then people would have something else to objectto. People need to learn to accept the will of Allah."

"The prophet was also a merchant"

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After embarking on his journey to religious enlightenment, Jamshedlaunched a highly successful fashion chain under his name. In ten citiesacross Pakistan, consumers can shop in Junaid Jamshed boutiques for traditional clothing, alcohol-free perfumes, and shoes.

So how does the former pop idol reconcile his devotion to Islam withowning a designer fashion label?

"Our prophet Muhammad, peace be with him, was also a merchant who soldcloth. It was allowed, and all that is the will of Allah should be done. Atfirst, I made the designs myself, but my products were so successful that Iwas able to afford my own designers, and they now run the entire designdepartment."

A pop star's rise to fame

Before Jamshed radically changed his life to pursue a more spiritualexistence, he was a pioneer of Pakistan's pop music scene. He rocketed tofame as the leader of the first Pakistani pop band, Vital Signs. Their patrioticsong 'Dil Dil Pakistan", released on 14 August 1987 to mark the country's30th national anniversary, instantly became a smash hit.

The four talented young musicians from Rawalpindi, a city in northeastPakistan, all came from respectable families, wore jeans, let their hair growlong, smoked cigarettes, and literally took the country by storm. Today the

band is widely recognized as the most popular Pakistani band of all time. Atthe height of the group's success, even grandmothers reportedly carried

photos of the band members in their purses, especially of the lead singer of the Vital Signs Junaid Jamshed.

From Quran school to pop star

"I was a good Quran reader in school," says Jamshed. "I could stress theArabic words correctly. All this reading was virtually the best training Icould get to prepare my voice for singing. So when we formed the band, itwas easy for me to sing for hours on end."

Born on 3 September 1964, Junaid Jamshed was 23 years old when the VitalSigns released their historic hit single. Today many consider him to be one

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of the best-looking men in the music business. He is a good singer and anatural born actor, having played the main role in all the band's video clips,as a heartbreaker and, at times, as a man with a broken heart.

When Jamshed married in 1990, he broke the hearts of fans across thenation. Nevertheless, his fans remained loyal and the band's popularityactually increased.

A charismatic media star

Jamshed was much more than just the lead singer of the Vital Signs. Whilethe three other members of the band tended to remain in the background,Jamshed was their main representative, appearing on talk shows, signingautographs, and attracting the attention of enthusiastic female fans.

After producing six highly acclaimed albums, performing countless concertsaround the world, and winning the hearts of millions, Vital Signs split up in1995.

But his anxious fans were relieved when Jamshed started his own solo career and released a number of new hit albums. At the time, there were persistentrumors that Jamshed was thinking of quitting the music business to devotehimself to Islam, but these stories were largely ignored, and the pop star continued to appear in concert and on television.

Islam as a publicity stunt?

In 2002, he broke the news, causing a huge outcry. At a press conferenceJamshed announced that he would leave the music business once he hadcompleted his contractual obligations and projects. For a number of months,his physical appearance had already signaled a change in lifestyle. Jamshedgrew a beard and was only seen wearing the shalwar kameez, Pakistan'straditional dress.

The music world was shocked and amused. While fans mourned the loss of their favorite singer, skeptics maintained that Jamshed was only goingthrough a pseudo Islam phase, perhaps as a publicity stunt.

"For 16 years I had loads of money, fame and publicity. I simply don't needto attract any more publicity. People don't want to accept that I'm following

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the will of Allah and it just took me a long time to understand His will."

And what do his wife and three children have to say about thistransformation?

"Of course the changeover was very difficult at first. When you're used to acertain lifestyle, it takes a lot of effort to change your ways and tackle newgoals. But it is exactly like the preparations that you go through before youtake a test. You study and read and delve into things so you can pass the test.Our current life is merely a preparation for the test that awaits us after our death. And we should thoroughly prepare ourselves. All I can do is travelaround the world and call on people to follow the path that I have chosen.That's all I can do."