Review of Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002) by Terry L — 08 Dec 2013

The movie is a two-hour PBS documentary of Muhammad's life and how people relate to his teaching today. It tells the story of how, at the time of his birth, the land he grew up in was wicked. Muhammad's father died before he was born and his mother dies when he was six years old. Orphaned, he sought comfort with his uncle. He was not able to read or write. Muhammad was born in Mecca under a powerful tribe called Quraysh. Produced in 2002 by Michael Wolfe, Michael Schwarz, and Alexander Kronemer and directed by Michael Schwarz and Omar al-Qattan, the movie continued to tell the story of Muhammad's life. Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet also takes viewers on the road with people who follow Muhammad's teaching today. One person is Kevin James who is a fire marshal. James explained why he chose his profession and says to love God is to love others. So, he serves people in a way he feels is right; as a first responder he helps all races of people, not just his own. There are others in the documentary that told their story and how Muhammad's teaching helped them. It is a must-see documentary for those interested in Islam.

The documentary goes right along with what we are learning about Islam in class. The life of Muhammad is told the same married at age 25, had five children with his first wife; two of his sons died. At the age of 40, he encounters the angel Gabriel and from that moment on for the next 23 years he received the message and revealed it to his people. The documentary also relates to the Qur'an, which is God's message to Muhammad and Muhammad shared that message with his people. The fact that Muhammad is the last prophet; he was just a man, not divine. It also told about the five pillars, the way one prays, lives and eats each day as well as the pilgrimage to Mecca.