Muhammad: legacy of a prophet [Widescreen]

Born in the year 570 in Mecca, Arabia, his father having died before his birth, and his mother dying when he was only six, Muhammad, sheltered by a powerful uncle, made a good start in life, establishing himself in a profitable business and marrying well. And then, at the age of 40, he was transformed. A man who could not read or write, he announced that he was the prophet of God, and in the next 23 years he would bring peace to the warring pagan tribes of Arabia and establish the new religion of Islam, which today has 1.2 billion followers. With some of the world’s greatest scholars on Islam providing historical context and critical perspective, and through paintings, archival resources, ancient artefacts and re-enactments, this superb documentary film presents an in depth discourse on the life and legacy of the Prophet Muhammad - a story that has relied solely on oral history and the recorded word passed down from the 7th century because, unlike the figure of Jesus Christ in the Christian belief, there are no images of the Prophet Muhammad for he was not seen as a “divine” figure by his followers. Muhammad’s legacy brings us to today’s Muslims and the preconception, particularly by the West and especially since 9/11, that they are terrorists and fanatics. This program sets out to dispel the myths and misunderstandings by taking the viewer into the homes, mosques and work places of American Muslims (6-7 million in America, many who have immigrated from Iraq during the Gulf War) who openly talk of their faith, and their beliefs and values that shape their lives, commenting that fanaticism and acts of terrorism are contrary to the beliefs of Islam. Shot on location in the Middle East, Europe and the United States, this documentary program took three years to complete but the result is probably one of the most comprehensive chronicles produced on the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the Islamic religion. Narrated by Andre Braugher.