“Muḥammad is the Messenger of Allah. And those with him are firm with the disbelievers and compassionate with one another.”
– English translation of The Quran, Surah 48:29
A biography of the founder of Islam, who lived in the Early Middle Ages …
Of the English-language films about the Prophet Muhammad, this one appears to be the longest. It is a journalistic examination of his life, and is good despite this journalistic style. It was made by the BBC, but distributed in America through PBS. If I am not mistaken, the film was directed by one British Muslim, written by another, and presented by still another – namely, Rageh Omaar. I am glad that this documentary was made by Muslims, because it allows one to hear an inside perspective on their faith. For this reason, one wishes that PBS’s film “The Mormons” had been made by a Latter-Day Saint filmmaker – or more precisely, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. “The Life of Muhammad” gives a three-hour overview of the life of Islam’s great prophet – which provides no pictures of Muhammad himself, in deference to the Muslim prohibitions on these pictures of the prophet. Nonetheless, this film succeeds in providing its viewer with a visually interesting biography despite this limitation.
Rageh Omaar, the presenter of this documentary
The first episode covers his early life in Mecca, his first marriage, and his early revelations
The first episode begins its story at his birth in the city of Mecca, in what is today Saudi Arabia. This was in the year 570 of our calendar. As I’ve said elsewhere on my blog, this is part of the reason that Mecca is considered the holiest city in Islam today. Muslims are required to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetimes. This episode also goes into his marriage to his first wife Khadija, who was one of his strongest supporters until her death in 619. It also goes into the first of the revelations that would later become the Quran. Ironically, the documentary says that Muhammad himself may have been illiterate, and may not have written the Quran himself. Nonetheless, he had a command of the Arabic language, and somehow got these revelations recorded into what we now know as the Quran.
The Kaaba in Mecca, one of the holiest sites in Islam (today surrounded by a great mosque)
The second episode covers his “Night Journey to Jerusalem” …
The second episode covers his “Night Journey to Jerusalem,” as recorded in the Quran. I described this in a blog post about PBS’s “Jerusalem: Center of the World” (another great film, which I review here). To quote that blog post, “It is recorded that when he died, Muhammad actually rode on the back of a winged mule-like beast (called ‘Buraq’) to the ‘farthest mosque.’ The phrase ‘farthest mosque’ has traditionally been interpreted in Islam as the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. This may be the third holiest city in Islam. From there, the Quran records that he ascended into heaven, from what is today the ‘Dome of the Rock’ in Jerusalem. This is why the Dome of the Rock is also considered sacred to Muslims.” Jerusalem is also considered sacred by Jews and Christians, so the city of Jerusalem has long been a center of controversy. But that’s a topic for another post – specifically, my review of this Jerusalem documentary.
Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, one of the most sacred sites in Islam
The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, one of the holiest sites in Islam
… and his migration to Medina, the event at which the Muslim calendar begins
The second episode also goes into how he was mistreated by the local leaders of Mecca, and forced to flee to a city hundreds of miles away. To quote another of my blog posts, “The city was then known as Yathrib, but is today known as Medina. The Islamic calendar begins in the year that Muhammad established his first Muslim community in Medina, in the year 622 of the Western calendar. Muhammad was in his fifties at the time, so the Muslim calendar does not begin with the birth of the prophet. Rather, they begin at his emigration to Medina, and establishment of a Muslim community there. Muhammad died ten years later, in the year 632 of our calendar. Because of Muhammad’s connection with the city, Medina is now the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca. He spent most of his life in Medina, gathering followers to his new religion.”
Comments on Muhammad’s protections for religious freedom in Medina
As I note elsewhere, Muhammad was a political leader as well as a religious leader, who allowed religious freedom to all who lived in his city of Medina. This was guaranteed by the now-lost Constitution of Medina, a sort of seventh-century Magna Carta. To quote this other of my blog posts, “He had a special respect for Jews and Christians, with whom his followers had much in common. All three religions are considered ‘Abrahamic religions,’ and Islam grew out of Judaism and Christianity in the same way that Christianity had grown out of Judaism. It is thus ironic that many in the Muslim world today make war on the religious freedom of non-Muslims. In fairness, Muhammad did smash the statues of the local gods of Mecca after his armies had invaded the city, but this was because he was at war with them – a war that the Meccan Quraysh had started. Despite this act, his life testifies to his tolerance for other religions – Jews and Christians in particular, whom he praised as ‘Peoples of the Book.’ One wishes that this part of his legacy could be more widely practiced in the Muslim world.” This episode also covers his eight-year war with the Meccan tribes, in which Muhammad and his followers fought for their survival.
Great Mosque of Mecca (which surrounds the Kaaba), one of the holiest sites in Islam
The third episode covers Sharia law, hijabs, and “jihad” (the Arabic word for “struggle”)
The third episode covers some key events in the later parts of Muhammad’s life. This included the introduction of a moral code (known as “Sharia”), which required women to wear veils over their faces called “hijabs” (or so it is interpreted). Most importantly for a modern audience, he also discusses the concept of jihad, and what Muhammad said about fighting holy wars. One can certainly make the case for a peaceful interpretation of Islam, which forbids the “holy struggle” that we identify with jihad today. Muhammad did not use the word “jihad” in this sense in the Quran. It was just a “struggle” to remain faithful, and to keep the commandments of God (or “Allah,” as He is known to Muslims). Many Muslims rightly believe that the acts of terrorism practiced in Muhammad’s name today are inconsistent with a true interpretation of Islam. Muhammad undoubtedly believed that there could be a just war, since he fought such a war with the Meccan Quraysh. But to say that he would approve of all wars in the name of Islam is just not true, and we should echo those Muslims who say this today. Indeed, if this message is heard and assented to by their fellow Muslims, there may well be fewer acts of terrorism in the future.
Planes striking the World Trade Center – New York City, September 11th, 2001
References to Islamic terrorism in the world today, and this film’s verdict on it
This film was made in 2011, roughly ten years after the 9/11 attacks. Thus, this was made well into the War on Terror, when controversies about Islamic terrorism were still raging in the West. Indeed, they are still raging at the time that I write this. The film makes a number of references to current events – from footage of the planes striking the Twin Towers in the opening segment, to rumors that American soldiers flushed a Quran down a toilet (a rumor which seems never to have been substantiated). The film does not express an opinion on the morality of the war against terrorism, but it certainly condemns those who support or practice terrorism in the name of Islam. They interview two British Muslims who were convicted of terrorist attacks in their home country of Great Britain. This was done to put the other side of this issue on the record. They also give both sides of the argument about women wearing hijabs, and whether this is indeed required by the Quran (as many say it is).
Al-Masjid an-Nabawī, a great mosque in Medina (founded by Muhammad himself)
This film gives a positive portrayal of both the Muslim religion and Muhammad himself
The film gives a positive portrayal of both the Muslim religion and Muhammad himself, as would be expected of a film made by British Muslims. It is done in an accessible way, with recurrent references to current events. This is part of the journalistic style of this documentary. I’m not as much of a fan of this journalistic style, preferring the more scholarly approach of some other British and American programs. Nonetheless, the three-hour length of this program makes it the longest English-language film about Muhammad that I know of, and a great source to turn to for a visual history of Muhammad’s life. Despite the aforementioned inability to show pictures of the Prophet Muhammad, this program is visually interesting, with pictures of Muslim holy sites in Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem. This includes the Kaaba in Mecca, the Great Mosque that surrounds it, and Al-Masjid an-Nabawī – a mosque in Medina founded by Muhammad himself, and one of the earliest of all mosques.
Conclusion: This is a great film, which gives considerable insight into current events
Among other things, this film provides helpful insights into medieval history, which was greatly influenced by Islamic civilization. But it also provides great insight into current events, which cannot help but influence a program like this. If you want to understand this religion that’s always in the news these days, this is a great source to turn to. It’s a television biography of one of history’s most important individuals, whose legacy has lasted to this day.
“The great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations and to bring a higher level of understanding to individuals.”
– A statement by the three highest-ranking officers of my church, as quoted by James E. Faust in 1980 (and again in 2006)
DVD at Amazon
If you liked this post, you might also like:
A review of “Jerusalem: Center of the World” (PBS)
A review of “Islam” (audiobook)
A review of “Avicenna and Medieval Muslim Philosophy” (audiobook)
A review of “Islam: Empire of Faith” (PBS Empires)
A review of “The Crusades: Crescent and the Cross” (History Channel)
See also the audiobook series
Religions, Scriptures, and Spirituality
Others to be covered later
See also the audiobook series
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