Fir'awn (فرعون) is Arabic for "pharaoh". The Qur'an tells the story of Musa and the Pharaoh also known as Fir'awn.

Qur'anic narrative[link]

Musa and Harun went to the Firaun, and when they arrive he is told about their divine mission and that he should let the Israelites go. Firaun rebukes him by saying that the Egyptians looked after him, and he reminds Musa that he has killed an Egyptian. Musa acknowledges this, and says that he did that before he received his message from God. Firaun enquires as to who this god of Musa is. It is Allah (God), he is told, the Creator of everything. At one point Firaun threatens him with prison, as he says there can be no gods other than himself, but he eventually asks Musa for a sign to see if he is telling the truth. Musa throws down his rod and it turns into a huge snake. He then draws forth his hand and it shines with brilliant white light. Pharaoh, however, rejects these signs as 'evident/manifest sorcery'. Firaun's chiefs wonder why they should believe in two men like themselves, and Israelite men at that. Musa is outraged at their reaction to the truth. He warns them to accept God or face the consequences. Firaun discusses the issue with his chiefs. They tell him that Musa's plan is to overthrow the Firaun by turning the people away from their established religion. Firaun tells them to stall Musa and Harun whilst well-versed sorcerers are found. These sorcerers are promised rewards and power. Firaun then arranges with Musa for him to come to the Day of the Festival.

The sorcerers and Musa[link]

The day of the Festival arrives, and all the people are there along with the sorcerers and Musa (Moses) and Harun (Aaron), Musa's (Moses') brother. The sorcerers ask Musa who is to go first, and Musa tells them that they are. They throw down some rods and ropes and they appear to move of their own accord, like a snake. Even Musa is slightly scared by this, but he has God's help. He throws down his rod and it 'swallowed up straight away all the falsehoods which they fake'. The sorcerers are stunned, and they bow, proclaiming their belief in their Allah (God). Firaun is angered at their belief without his permission. He threatens to cut off their hands and feet and crucify them on a palm-tree cross. The sorcerers are unperturbed, saying that they be sent back to their lord, whom from they ask for forgiveness. They rebuke Firaun for threatening them just because they believe in Musa's signs.

Later, Firaun is with his chiefs. They ask him if he is to let Musa and the Israelites continue to spread mischief in Egypt, turning people away from the Egyptian religion. He decides to slay all the male Israelites but keep the females in order to keep power. Despite Musa's message few believe except the Israelites and a small number of Egyptians, as many are fearful of Firaun.

Musa again speaks out against Firaun, asking who will protect him from God's punishment when it comes. Nevertheless they refuse to recognise God, with Firaun expressly stating that whatever signs Musa brings he will never believe in him. In his arrogance he asks one of his chiefs, Haman, to make bricks from baked clay in order to build a 'lofty palace' that will reach up to Musa's god. This is despite the fact that Firaun tells Haman that he thinks Musa is a liar. (Holy Quran:- Chapter-07, Verses:103-126)

Plagues unleashed[link]

God punishes Firaun and the Egyptians with years of drought and crop shortages. During these bad times the Egyptians ask Musa to pray to God to help them and they say that they will release the Israelites, but when times are better they claim that it is due to themselves and they negate on their promises. God also sends down various plagues – 'wholesale death,' locusts, lice, frogs and blood (these are the rest of the nine signs that Musa was told about on Mount Tur). Despite all of this, the Egyptians still refuse to believe. Firaun reminds them that Egypt belongs to him. He is better than Musa, he says. Musa cannot even speak clearly and he doesn't own gold, he adds. (Holy Qur'an:- Chapter-07, Verses:130-135)

Sea and Pharaoh Drowning Then Preserved As A Sign[link]

Musa prays once more to God. He is told to depart with the Israelites at night-time towards the sea. Meanwhile the Egyptians hear of this, and Firaun sends heralds to all the cities telling them about the insurrection. Finally, the Egyptians, led by Firaun, appear near the sea bent on destroying the Israelites. Musa strikes the sea with his rod and it parts. He and the Israelites pass through safely, but the Egyptians follow them 'in insolence and spite,' which scares some of the Israelites. However, with them safely across, the sea overwhelms the Egyptians. As he is drowning, Firaun calls out that he believes in the Israelites' god and that he submits himself to God. But it was too late. He is reminded of his evil acts, and God allows his body to be later picked up as a sign for those who do evil. God also levels some of the Egyptian's works and buildings.

References[link]

See also[link]

• Musa
• Harunmusa
• Haman (Islam)

Nabi Musa, 2008

Nabi Musa

Location within the modern Palestinian Territories

Nabi Musa (Arabic: نبي موسى‎, meaning the "Prophet Moses",^[1] also transliterated Nebi Musa) is the name of a site in the Judean desert that popular Palestinian folklore associates with Moses. It is also the name of a seven-day long religious festival that was celebrated annually by Palestinian Muslims, beginning on the Friday before Good Friday in the old Orthodox Greek calendar.^[2] Considered "the most important Muslim pilgrimage in Palestine,"^[3] the festival centered around a collective pilgrimage from Jerusalem to what was understood to be the Tomb of Moses, near Jericho.

History[link]

The Jerusalem-Jericho road was one of the primary routes used by Mediterranean Arabs to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The great, many-domed building which marks the Mausoleum of Moses was located at what would be have marked the end of the first day's march in that direction. Originally, it was simply a point from which pilgrims could look across the Jordan Valley and catch a glimpse of Mount Nebo where the tomb of Moses was thought to be located.^[4] It appears to have become a fixed point in the local Muslim calendar from the time of Saladin.^[5] In 1269 the Mamluk sultan Baibars al-Bunduqdari built a small shrine here, as part of a general policy he adopted after conquering towns and rural areas from Lebanon down to Hebron from the Crusaders. The shrines were mostly dedicated to biblical prophets and the companions of Mohammed, and their maintenance was funded by an awqaf, an endowment from properties that formerly belonged to the Latin Church. In the case of Nabi Musa, the waqf fund was secured from ecclesiastical assets expropriated in nearby Jericho.^[6]

Baibars al-Bunduqdari's constructive piety set a precedent for others. Over the late medieval period, hostels for travellers were built on adjacent to the shrine, and the hospice in its present form was completed in the decade between 1470 and 1480. Gradually, the lookout point for Moses' distant gravesite beyond the Jordan was confused with Moses' tomb itself, laying the ground for the cultic importance Nabi Musa was to acquire in the Palestinian worship of saints (walis).

Ottoman Turks, around 1820, restored the buildings, which had, over the previous centuries, fallen into a state of dilapidated disrepair. In addition, they promoted a festive pilgrimage to the shrine, coinciding with the Christian celebration of Easter. This 'invention of tradition', as such imaginative constructs are called,^[7] made the pageantry of the Nabi Musa pilgrimage a potent symbol of both political and religious identity among Muslims from the outset of the modern period. Over the nineteenth century, thousands of Muslims would assemble in Jerusalem, trek to Nabi Musa, and pass three days in feasting, prayer, games and visits to the large tomb two kilometres south, identified as that of Moses' shepherd, Hasan er-Rai, They were then entertained, as guests of the waqf, before returning on the seventh day triumphantly back to Jerusalem.^[8]

In the late nineteenth century, the Ottomans appointed the al-Husayni clan as official custodians of the shrine and hosts of the festival, though their connection with the cult may date back to the previous century. According to Yehoshua Ben-Aryeh, the governor of Jerusalem Rauf Pasha (1876–1888), was the first to attempt to exploit the festival to incite Muslims against Christians. Ilan Pappé offers a different view:

'It is more likely, however, that the governor and his government were rather apprehensive of such an anti-Christian uprising as it could stir instability and disorder at a time when the central government was trying to pacify the Empire. This had been indeed the impression of the engineer (seconded to the Palestine Exploration Fund) Claude Conder. The Hebrew paper, Ha-havazelet, at the time blessed the Ottoman government for imposing law and order in the Nabi Musa affair. The travelogues of Francis Newton testify as well to a peaceful execution of the ceremonies. Indeed, the Turkish government must have acted here against popular feelings, shared by the Husaynis as the masters of the ceremony that Nabi Musa was celebrated in the most unfavourable conditions for the Muslims. It was the iron fist imposed by the Turks that prevented the situation from deteriorating into an all out riot.'^[9]

Ottoman flags fly over the Nabi Musa for the last time, in 1917.

The procession moved off from Jerusalem under a distinctive Nabi Musa banner which the Husaynis conserved for the annual occasion in their Dar al-Kabira. On arriving at the shrine, the al-Husaynis and another rising Jerusalem family of notables (A'ayan), the Yunis clan, were required to provide two meals a day over the week for all worshippers.^[10] Once their vows were taken, or vows previously taken were renewed, they were offered to the festival. The priestly family conducting events would provide about twelve lambs, together with rice, bread, and Arab butter, for a communal meal every day.^[2]

Writing in the early twentieth century, Samuel Curtiss recorded that an estimated 15,000^[11] people from all over the country attended the Nabi Musa festival every year.^[12] For some years from 1919, pilgrims made their trek back from Jericho to Jerusalem to the sound of English military music.^[13] The festival was suppressed when Jordan assumed administration over the West Bank in the aftermath of 1948 Arab-Israeli war, because of its symbolic value as a vehicle for potential expressions of political protest. Since 1995, control over the tomb of Nabi Musa has been allocated to the Palestinian National Authority.^[14]

Descriptions[link]

Nabi Musa festival, Jerusalem, 1920.

The journalist Philip Perceval Graves, the brother of the poet and mythographer Robert Graves, who had achieved recent fame for his exposure of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion as a forgery (1921) within a year of its English-language publication, gave a vivid description of the colorful re-entry of worshipers back from the countryside into Jerusalem as they passed through the Jaffa gates:

As they entered the old city, the enthusiasm of the crowds reached its highest intensity. Men with the set blank stare of extreme excitement danced round and round, bareheaded, their long locks flying wildly as they revolved. . . Last came the green banner of Hebron surrounded by a guard of ten wiry swordsmen. Proudly they walked with their flag, till they came to where the narrow Street of David plunges down into the labyrinth of the old city. For the last time they whirled their bright blades above their heads and disappeared into the shadows of the streets.^[15]

A photo of one stage of the procession may be seen in George Aaron Barton's A Year's Wandering in Bible Lands, Ferris & Leach, 1904 p. 200

In Letters from Jerusalem: During the Palestine Mandate, Eunice Holliday describes the procession to the Tomb of Moses in a letter to her mother as follows:

"The procession was the queerest thing I have ever seen, a more disorganised affair you could not imagine, but then that is typical of the country. The people came along in batches, just a crowd with banner of silk, of all colours, then a crowd dancing - Arabic dancing is a joke - then a crowd singing and waving swords or sticks and, interspersed, groups of mounted police and soldiers to see there was no fighting. Quite the nicest part of the day was to see all the fellaheen (peasants from the villages) in their new clothes. The colours were wonderful, bright pink, purple or blue velvet coats, yellow dresses with embroideries in red and green et cetera, and all wore a white veil. It was a gorgeous site [...]"^[16]

Moses rocks[link]

Negev Bedouin tribes produced oil from the bituminous shale rocks found in the area around the shrine to Moses which they called "Moses rocks" (Arabic: احجار موسى‎, ihjar Mousa). The Bedouin not only shared in the belief surrounding the sanctity of the site, but further believed that God had blessed this place where Moses was buried with 'fire rocks' and water wells. Tawfiq Canaan, in his work Mohammedan Saints and Sanctuaries (1927), noted that the black rocks around the shrine would burn when placed in fire and were also used as amulets after being cut into square and triangular forms and inscribed with protective talismans.^[17]

See also[link]

• Nabi Rubin

References[link]

A detailed account of the Nabi Musa festival is to be found, in Arabic, in Kamil al-‘Asali's Mawsim al-Nabi Musa fi Filastin: Tarikh al-mawsim wal-maqam (The Nabi Musa Festival in Palestine: The history of the festival and the shrine) Amman, Dar al-Karmil, 1990.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Nabi Musa

• Nabi Musa photographic gallery

Coordinates: 31°47′11″N 35°25′54″E / 31.786389°N 35.431667°E / 31.786389; 35.431667

Mohammad Asif
محمد آصف

Personal information
Full name	Mohammad Asif
Born	(1982-12-20) 20 December 1982 (age 29) Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Batting style	Left handed
Bowling style	Right arm fast medium
Role	Bowler
International information
National side	Pakistan
Test debut (cap 184)	2 January 2005 v Australia
Last Test	26 August 2010 v England
ODI debut (cap 154)	21 December 2005 v England
Last ODI	21 June 2010 v Bangladesh
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	T20I
Matches	22	38	11
Runs scored	140	34	9
Batting average	6.55	3.77	7.38
100s/50s	0/0	0/0	0/0
Top score	29	6	5*
Balls bowled	4,997	1,941	257
Wickets	105	46	13
Bowling average	23.18	33.13	26.38
5 wickets in innings	7	0	0
10 wickets in match	1	0	0
Best bowling	6/41	3/28	4/18
Catches/stumpings	3/–	5/–	3/–
Source: Cricinfo, 21 August 2010

This article contains Urdu text, written from right to left with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined letters or other symbols instead of Urdu script.

Mohammad Asif (Urdu: محمد آصف, born 20 December 1982) is a Pakistani right-arm fast medium bowler in cricket. Asif was born in Sheikhupura, and has played first-class cricket for Khan Research Labs, the National Bank, Quetta, Sheikhupura, Sialkot and Leicestershire. He made his Test match debut for the Pakistan cricket team against Australia in January 2005.

On 20 July 2010, Asif was ranked second leading Test bowler, just behind Dale Steyn.^[1]

In 2006, there was a cricket controversy involving Asif, after he tested positive for anabolic steroid, Nandrolone, before having a ban imposed on him overturned on appeal. He was later withdrawn from Pakistan's World Cup squad with an unrelated injury. Further cricket controversy followed when he was detained in Dubai suspected of having drugs on his person and was then found to have tested positive for a banned substance during the Indian Premier League. In August 2010 he was accused by the News of the World of deliberately bowling no-balls in return for payment from a betting syndicate.^[2] On 5 February 2011 a 3-man tribunal, appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave the verdict that he was to be banned for 7 years, with 2 of those suspended if no further offences were committed. In November 2011, Asif was convicted, along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Amir, of conspiracy charges relating to spot-fixing. On 3 November 2011, Asif was given a one-year prison sentence for his role in the scandal.

Cricket career[link]

After impressing in domestic Pakistani cricket, Asif was fast tracked into the Pakistan test squad and made his first appearance against Australia in January 2005. He bowled 18 overs without taking a wicket and Australia won by 9 wickets.

Asif was subsequently dropped from the side but returned a year later in January 2006 for the home tour against India. In the second Test, Asif bowled 34 overs and took the wicket of Yuvraj Singh. It was the third Test in Karachi, however, where Asif would make headlines. After a poor batting display by Pakistan, Asif took 4 for 78 in the first innings, including the wickets of V. V. S. Laxman, Rahul Dravid and, once again, Yuvraj Singh, to help Pakistan take a six-run lead. Asif returned in the second innings with three clean bowled wickets of Virender Sehwag, Laxman, and Sachin Tendulkar to lead Pakistan to victory. His series against the Indians was blighted by a fine imposed by match referee Chris Broad for over-appealing and premature celebration of a wicket.^[3] The ODI series that followed this Pakistan lost 4–1 to India.

Asif followed up his match-winning efforts against India in Pakistan's next tour in Sri Lanka, where he took a career-best 11 for 71 in the 2nd Test, in another dramatic come-from-behind victory.

In November 2005, Leicestershire announced the signing of Asif for the 2006 season after he had played a game for their second XI in 2004. Leicestershire's chairman Neil Davidson described him as a "bowler with the ability to generate great pace".^[4] Asif did relatively well picking up 25 wickets in 7 first class games before leaving to join the Pakistan squad for their tour of England. Asif was due to line up again with Leicestershire for the 2007 season but due to injury problems was asked not to play by the PCB^[5]

Asif missed the first three Tests in Pakistan's tour to England in the summer of 2006, but returned to the side for the fourth Test and immediately made an impact, picking up four wickets (Andrew Strauss, Alistair Cook, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen) in the first innings at the Oval, and another in the second (Marcus Trescothick).

Asif bowls Pietersen for a duck

He made history when he became the first bowler to bowl a maiden over in Twenty20 cricket. In fact he managed to pick up two wickets during that over, first of Kevin Pietersen for a golden duck and then of Andrew Strauss, also without scoring.

A lot was made of the duel between Asif and Pietersen in matches between them. Asif enjoyed success against Pietersen having taken his wicket five times, with three of those dismissals coming from the first ball without scoring.

Asif claimed 19 wickets abroad in Pakistan's test series against South Africa in 2007. This feat lifted him to eighth in the LG ICC Test player rankings after only nine appearances – equalling the record for the fewest matches taken by a Pakistan bowler to reach the top 10, shared by Waqar Younis and Pervez Sajjad.^[6]

Following the 2–1 test series loss against South Africa, Pakistan captain Inzamam-Ul-Haq praised Asif's performance, "Asif has immaculate length control and a natural ability to swing the ball both ways. He is also quick to spot a weakness in batsmen and work on it."^[7] Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer added, "He [Asif] is a modern-day fast bowler based on the likes of [Shaun] Pollock and [Glenn] McGrath. He gives you control and has the ability to hit the seam and make the ball move both ways. In Pakistan terms he is more Sarfraz Nawaz than Imran Khan.^[8]

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan agreed with the assessment of Asif's progress, saying: "Asif is well on his way to become one of the greats. If he gains a little bit of pace through weight training he can be more lethal."^[7]

In August 2007, he joined the Indian Premier League (IPL)^[9] He was subsequently drafted by the Delhi DareDevils for US $650,000. In the week before the 2007 Twenty20 world cup match in South Africa, Shoaib Akhtar was rumoured to have hit Asif with a bat, leaving a bruise on his left thigh. According to sources, the two were involved in a dressing room spat which resulted in Asif being struck by a bat on his left thigh. Sources said the fight between the two started after Asif and Shahid Afridi disagreed with Shoaib that he shared the same stature as Imran Khan in Pakistan cricket and even ridiculed him for making such a comparison.^[10] The injury was not thought to be anything more serious than a bruise but a team investigation into the matter was pending.^[11] After the initial inquiry, it would found that Shoaib was at fault and he was subsequently recalled from the Twenty20 World Cup squad^[12] and was sent home.^[13] He was also banned for 5 matches by the PCB and a lifetime ban may also seem imminent.^[14] Akhtar later claimed that Afridi was responsible for the fight, saying "He made some ill remarks about my family. And I could not tolerate them"^[15] Afridi however, denied these allegations adding that Asif would have suffered more injuries but for his intervention.^[15] Even Asif chipped in saying that Shoaib was lying and that "Shahid Afridi had nothing to do with the fight." saying that "he has not apologised to me. "^[16]

In July 2010, during Pakistan's tour to England, Mohammad Asif took his 100th test wicket, dismissing Alastair Cook in only 20 matches.

Conversely, Asif jointly holds the Test record with five consecutive ducks, an unfortunate honour he shares with Bob Holland and Ajit Agarkar.^[17]

Spot fixing scandal and seven-year ban (2010–present)[link]

In August 2010, the English Sunday newspaper News of the World published allegations that Asif and fellow bowler Mohammad Amir had deliberately bowled no-balls during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England in return for payment from a betting syndicate, a practice known as spot-fixing.^[2]

On 1 September 2010, after the warm-up List A game between Pakistan and Somerset, the International Cricket Council announced that they had suspended Asif under the provision of the provisions of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Code. The statement from the ICC stated that the three players (Asif, Mohammad Amir and Salman Butt) were charged "under various offences under Article 2 of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for Players and Player Support Personnel relating to alleged irregular behaviour during, and in relation to, the fourth Test between England and Pakistan at Lord's last month".^[18]

After filing his appeal against the suspension he withdrew it stating that he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed before he files an appeal against his ban as he knows what the charges levelled against him are^[19] In December Salman Butt one of the three cricketers implicated along with Asif and Amir announced that he wanted his hearing to be delayed because he wanted the Scotland Yard investigation to be completed first. Asif and Amir stated they would not take part in the teleconference involving Butt for requesting the delay in the hearing because they wanted their decisions to happen quickly so that they could be selected in Pakistan's provisional world cup squad^[20]

On 5 February 2011, the tribunal's decision was handed down. Asif was found guilty of deliberately bowling no-balls, and was banned from the sport of cricket for seven years, the last two of which were suspended should no further offences take place, and Asif take part in a Pakistani Cricket Board anti-corruption program.^[21]

On 1 November 2011, Asif was convicted at Southwark Crown Court, along with Amir and Butt, of conspiracy to cheat at gambling and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments.^[22]

On 3 May 2012, Asif completed his punishment and released from Canterbury jail, England.

Performance-enhancing drugs[link]

On 16 October 2006, Asif was suspended by the PCB along with team mate Shoaib Akhtar, and was pulled from the Champions Trophy^[23] after the pair failed drug tests for the performance-enhancing substance Nandrolone.^[24]

England batsman Andrew Strauss said the news had rocked cricket. Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live, he said: "When drugs are used in any sport it is not a great day for that sport and this not a great day for cricket."^[25]

On 1 November 2006, the PCB handed down a two-year suspension to Shoaib Akhtar and a one-year suspension to Asif, banning them from professional cricket for the duration.^[26] Both Asif and Shoaib have been added to Pakistan Olympic Association list of doping offenders.^[27] The tribunal set to investigate steroid use revealed that Asif had been using a protein supplement, Promax-50.^[28] The panel had reported to have shown a degree of leniency to Asif as they believe that he did not understand what he was taking and stopped at the request of the physiotherapist. Both Akhtar and Asif appealed against the ban. A second tribunal was formed. On 5 December both were acquitted by the tribunal appointed to review their drug ban appeal. The decision was made two to one with Hasib Ahsan and Justice Fakhruddin Ebrahim in favour of the acquittal. Statement by Justice Ebrahim: "This appeal committee [therefore] holds that Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif will not be deemed to have committed a doping offence," Ibrahim said. "The ban and punishment imposed by the earlier tribunal is hereby set aside as being contrary to the provision of laws."

However, the WADA, World Anti-Doping Agency was unhappy with the decision^[29] and was to challenge the decision to lift the bans on the fast bowlers, and taking the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.^[30] The ICC, cricket's world governing body, has supported the WADA appeal adding that it was committed to a dope free game.^[31]

On 6 December 2006, Asif spoke out in his defence in an interview with the BBC. When asked to explain the presence of Nandrolone in his body, Asif cited a lack of awareness in Asian countries and said that he had taken some vitamins and protein supplements during the team's 2006 tour of England, which led to the problem. He also mentioned that medicines are easier to obtain in Pakistan, with little information available about the quality of the medicines.^[32]

On 1 March 2007, Akhtar and Asif were ruled out of the Pakistani squad for the 2007 Cricket World Cup by team officials, minutes before the squad was to depart for the West Indies. The team management along with the PCB said their injuries were too severe to risk taking them to the Caribbean. Since neither of the two had been declared fit they had not undergone official doping tests. However, Pakistani officials told cricket sources off the record that the team management had feared that they would fail the doping tests as it was likely traces of Nandrolone were still present in their system.^[33]

However, on 2 July 2007, the Court of Arbitration for Sport later dropped the case, ruling it had no jurisdiction to challenge the decision made by PCB.^[34][35]

On 1 June 2008, Asif was detained at Dubai International Airport on suspicion of possessing illegal drugs.^[36][37] An unknown substance was found in Asif's wallet, and was sent for analysis along with a sample of Asif's urine. The PCB appointed a legal counsel to represent Asif, and sent a senior board official to Dubai to handle the case.^[38] Asif was withdrawn from Pakistan's squad for the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and replaced by newcomer Sohail Khan.^[39]

On 19 June 2008, the charges against Asif were dropped by the Dubai public prosecutor due to "insignificance." The prosecutor, Mohammad Al Nuaimi, was quoted as saying, "It is definite that he committed the crime as he was caught red-handed ... however in certain cases and for a faster litigation process the Public Prosecution drops a case due to insignificance and deports the suspect."He was banned from entering UAE ever again.^[40] Asif returned to Pakistan the following day and thanked those who had aided his release, he also stated, "I did not use any banned substance. During the Indian Premier League, I underwent two doping tests, and cleared both of them...If I had been tested positive, the ICC would not have cleared me."^[41] His alleged aiders include the Pakistani actress, Veena Malik, who recently claimed that Asif has not returned her loan amounting to PKR 13 million, which was used for his release.^[42]

In July 2008, soon after his return to Pakistan from Dubai, the IPL revealed that a player had tested positive for banned substances during the tournament and on 14 July, it was revealed that the player in question was Asif.

Asif protested his innocence,^[43] and his lawyer announced that his 'B' sample would be analysed as per WADA regulations, and he was later suspended from all cricket indefinitely by the PCB. He does have the right to appeal his suspension. On 11 February 2009, the IPL confirmed that Asif had tested positive for steroids and subsequently imposed a one year ban on him, ending on 21 September 2009.^[44] Shortly before the IPL's announcement, Muhammad Asif was released of his contract by the Delhi DareDevils.

Film career[link]

Asif was signed for his first acting role for a Bollywood film in 2010, however he was dropped due to the allegations against him.^[45] He was then replaced by Canadian actor Abbas Hasan in Mazhavillinattam Vare directed by Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.^[46]

Personal life[link]

Public and media reports in Pakistan surfaced that Asif had married Pakistani actress and model, Veena Malik, on 28 May 2009, in a private ceremony in London.^[47] However, Veena Malik denied that the marriage had taken place.^[48]

In April 2010, Veena Malik filed a complaint against Asif claiming that he threatened to harm her if she did not stop pursuing her demand that he return the loan of around Rs 14 million he had taken from her.^[49] Later, she served a legal notice on Asif, after two cheques he gave her to settle the outstanding amount were bounced.

On 2 March 2010, Asif announced his engagement to Sania Hilal in Lahore.^[50] The couple wed on 1 October 2010, and Asif was reported as stating that he hoped marriage would change his life in a positive way. Attendees included Pakistan Test cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan^[51]

See also[link]

• List of cricketers banned for match fixing

References[link]

External links[link]

• Player Profile: Mohammad Asif from Cricinfo
• MohammadAsif.com
• Unofficial Mohammad Asif Fansite

v t e Pakistan squad – 2007 Cricket World Cup 1 Inzamam-ul-Haq (c) 2 Younis Khan 3 Azhar Mahmood 4 Danish Kaneria 5 Iftikhar Anjum 6 Imran Nazir 7 Kamran Akmal (wk) 8 Mohammad Hafeez 9 Mohammad Sami 10 Mohammad Yousuf 11 Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 12 Shahid Afridi 13 Shoaib Malik 14 Umar Gul 15 Yasir Arafat Coach: Woolmer Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Asif and Abdul Razzaq were named in the original squad but injuries led to them being withdrawn. Mushtaq Ahmed acted as temporary coach for Pakistan's final group game following the death of Bob Woolmer.

v t e Pakistan squad – 2007 ICC World Twenty20 Runners-Up 1 Salman Butt 2 Shahid Afridi 3 Imran Nazir 4 Shoaib Malik 5 Iftikhar Anjum 6 Misbah-ul-Haq 7 Kamran Akmal 8 Fawad Alam 9 Mohammad Asif 10 Yasir Arafat 11 Sohail Tanvir 12 Abdur Rehman 13 Umar Gul 14 Younis Khan 15 Mohammad Hafeez Coach: Geoff Lawson Shoaib Akhtar was replaced by Sohail Tanvir due to a dressing room incident before the tournament.

v t e Pakistan squad – 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Semi-Finalists 1 Shahid Afridi (c) 2 Abdul Razzaq 3 Abdur Rehman 4 Fawad Alam 5 Hammad Azam 6 Kamran Akmal (wk) 7 Khalid Latif 8 Misbah-ul-Haq 9 Mohammad Amir 10 Mohammad Asif 11 Mohammad Hafeez 12 Mohammad Sami 13 Saeed Ajmal 14 Salman Butt 15 Umar Akmal Coach: Waqar Younis Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat were named in the original squad but injuries led to them being withdrawn. Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Sami were sent as their replacements.