NEW DELHI: Hyderabadi rapper Ruhaan Arshad, who shot to fame after the release of his rap song 'Miya Bhai' in 2018, recently announced that he quit the music industry, saying it is "haraam" (prohibited) in Islam.
On his YouTube channel 'Ruhaan Arshad official', the rapper uploaded a video for his 2.34 million subscribers, in which he announced that he is quitting music after realising it is "haraam" in his religion. "I am confident about my decision and never had a second thought before announcing this news with you all. I am completely quitting this music industry and will never make any music video from now onwards. I knew that music is a sin in Islam, I just had a passion which led me to pursue it," Arshad said in the seven-minute-long video.
He further stated that he is only quitting the music industry and not YouTube. Thanking his fans for supporting him throughout his music journey, Arshad asked them to help him decide on other content for his YouTube channel that is not sinful.
Arshad also urged his followers who had entered into the music industry after being inspired by him, to quit rapping. The rapper became an overnight star after he released his rap song 'Miya Bhai' on YouTube, in 2018. So far, the video song has accumulated more than 500 million views on the platform.
Soon after Arshad released the video announcing his exit from the music industry, several fans and influencers chimed into the comments section to react to his decision. "You have a good voice. Upload Quran surah. U will get good deeds. Inshallah," wrote one user.
Another wrote, "I appreciate you for your decision. MashaAllah, InshaAllah Allah will make a better plan for you."
A user criticised his decision, saying, "abbe yrr kb tk chlegaa ye sbb..ganaa bnaana bhi haraam hogyaa abb aapka passion sirff singing h usme kisikaa nuksaan thodi horaa h aap kisiko hurt nhi krre tohh ye btt kharaab kse ho skti h yr. Singing dancing ek art h talent h..mko kbhi kbhi schme lgtaa h ki ye kch jydada hi horaa h koi cheez jo kiisko hurt nhi krti vo haraam h lekin dharm k naam p jo log janvaaro ko marte h vo haraam nhi h ajeeb rules b."
For the unversed, this isn't the first time that a celebrity has left the entertainment industry citing prohibition in Islam. Celebrities like, 'Dangal' star Zaira Wasim, actor Sana Khan, reality TV star Saqib Khan, and others have also quit showbiz for spiritual-religious reasons.