The name of Saeed Anwar in the history of Pakistan's cricket team will not easily be forgotten; he was one of the most prolific of those to make runs. Saeed Anwar surprised the cricket world in 2001 when "he turned up with a long, thick beard in a sport dominated by men who are clean-shaven."[97]
Saeed Anwar, a computer engineer by profession, used to be a materialist until September 2001 when his daughter, Bisma, died. That changed his whole outlook on life. He realised the temporary nature of this world.
In an interview, when he was asked about the initial reaction of cricket players on his appearing at the cricket ground with a beard, he said:
"People were very surprised to see me. But I was numb with pain because only recently, I had lost my daughter Bisma. I did not like anything. I felt very empty but I was surprised by people's reaction. They came up to me and started asking me about the beard, about who I was.
Also, I was respected more than ever before. Australian cricketers are famous for their rudeness and bad language. On a tour last June, the fast bowler Glenn McGrath collided with me.
Normally he would hurl some abuse at me but instead he put his arms around my shoulders, and said, 'It's my fault. I'm sorry.'
The beard has had a strange spiritual effect on me which I cannot describe. When you wear a sweater, it gives you warmth inside. Also, my beard has affected the people around me. They never utter a filthy word in my presence. So my five senses are protected from exposure to bad things."[98]
[Taken from the book, "Growing a Beard: In Light of the Qur'an, Sunnah and Modern Science" by Dr. Gohar Mushtaq.]
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Footnotes:
[97] Khan, Sameem (16 January 2003). "Saeed Anwar: 'It is all from Allah'." Arab News. www.arabnews.com
[98] Ibid.
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