13 Arab celebrities that retired at the peak of their careers

Sherine Abdul Wahab shocked the world and her fans when she decided in an audio recording to retire from her career.

Wahab put out an album last year titled "Tareeke" or "My way" and played a role in a series of the same title. However, this is not the first time a celebrity retires at the peak of her or his career.

Here is a list of Arab celebrities who retired early ...

Fadel Shaker retired at the end of 2012 to become a religious figure because he was influenced by the Lebanese Salafi Sheikh Ahmad Al Asir. Fadel was involved in several clashes in Abra, a city in the south of Sidon, that resulted in the death of 18 soldiers and 11 militants.

The military court issued a ruling on Shaker, sentencing him to five years in prison with a fine and stripping him from his civil rights.

The deceased actress Madiha Kael retired back in 1992 when she was just 44 years old. She retired during the shooting of her film "Bawabat Idriss" when she wore a hijab, which led to her replacement in the film. Kamel had earlier expressed how tired she was from showbiz despite the fact that she never thought it was "haram" or forbidden. She stated that her decision came after her mother became ill and she started reconsidering her options.

Rabie Al Kholi retired back in 2000 to join the monastery in Lebanon to become a priest in a church.

The artist who became famous during the 80s and early 90s spoke during an interview with the Lebanese channel MTV about how affected he was by the death of his brother Samir. This brought him to the decision to spend his life worshipping God away from the limelight.

Hanan Turk announced her retirement from acting when she called into the show "Ana Wel A'asal," which was presented by Lebanese presenter Nishan Derharoutyounian. She stated that it is not because she considers acting to be forbidden by any means but because she feels like she can no longer fulfill her roles completely as an actress after wearing a hijab during her film "Ahlam Hakekeya."

The famous Lebanese singer Samira Tawfik remained absent from the music scene for 17 years. Despite the fact that she never officially retired, she never put out any music or held a concert for two decades.

On February of 2016, She surprised fans when she held a concert at the "Rabee' Souk Wakef" festival in Doha.

Fayrouz Al Sagheera, who was a child star, retired from acting in 1959 when she was just 15 years old. Her last film was "Bafakar felli nasini" in 1958.

The respected artist Layla Murad retired in 1955 after the failure of her last film "Al Habib Al Majhoul" and the death of her former husband, Anwar Wajdi, at the age of 37.

Mourad was in 27 films. The most famous ones are "Ghazal Al banat" and "Layla Bint Al Aghneya."

The Egyptian actress retired back in 1993 after she wore a Hijab. She was 35 years old. Her last film was "Hanfi Al Abha" with actors Adel Imam and Farouk Al Fishawi.

Syrian actress Shams Al Baroudy retired back in 1985 when she was only 40 years old. Baroudy took this decision after wearing a Hijab. She was known as an iconic sex symbol in the 70s and 80s in movies like "Share' Al Malahi" and "Almot'a wal A'athab."

The Bahrainy actress, producer and writer Zainab Al Askari retired in 2009 at the age of 34 after marrying Deputy Ruler of Emirate of Sharjah Abdullah Bin Salem Al Qassami.

She stated that the reason for her retirement is to have more time to raise her daughter. Askari is known for her work in "Tash ma tash" and "La'anat Emra'ah."

Sherihan retired back in 2002 at the age of 28 after she was diagnosed with cancer of salivary glands after three years of filming "Arak Al Balah." The star had promised her fans to appear in the series "Domou' Cinderella" during Ramadan of 2013 then apologized because the writer delayed it.

The Saudi comedian Fahad Al Hayyan, known for his works in "Tash Ma Tash" alongside Naser AlQasabi, retired in 2014. He is known as an actor and television producer.

The Egyptian actress retired after 27 years to work as an advocate in religious centers. She is known for her roles in movies such as "The Ladder and the Snake," "Lost in America" and "Aris min jeha amneya" alongside Adel Imam.