Prophet Muhammad’s Life on BBC

The life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) would be the subject of a BBC documentary to be screened next July, depicting lesson and stages of Islam’s prophet life in Makkah and Madinah, the UK Unreality TV website reported on Tuesday, June 21. “For some people in the UK, Muhammad is just a name,” said Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC’s commissioning editor for religion and ethics.
“I hope this series will go some way to explaining who he was, how he lived, what his prophetic message was, and how all of this compares to his legacy today.”
The three part series, titled The Life Of Muhammad, will be presented by Rageh Omaar for BBC Two.
The trio of hour-long films will depict the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from life to death tracing his beginning in Makkah and flight to Madinah where he founded the first Islamic state and constitution.
It will also trace Prophet Muhammad’s subsequent military and political successes through to his death and his legacy.
“This is a very timely landmark series filmed in Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Syria, Turkey, the USA, the UK and Jordan,” Ahmed said.
“It features comment from some of the world’s leading academics and commentators on Islam – a subject that many people may know little about.”
Directed by Faris Kermani, the director and producer of Channel 4 series Seven Wonders Of The Muslim World, the program will transmit on BBC Two in mid-July 2011.
In line with Islamic tradition it does not depict any images of the face of Muhammad, or feature any dramatic reconstructions of Muhammad’s life.

Islam in Modern Life

The BBC program would raise questions about Islam’s role in the world today, offering a fascinating and timely insight into the Islamic faith.
“I am extremely pleased to be presenting this exciting and groundbreaking series about this extraordinary man, Muhammad – the Prophet of Islam,” Omaar said.
“The details of Muhammad’s life really are little known, and I hope that my series will – for many – shine a light on the very beginning of Islam, taking viewers to the heart of this faith, illustrating just how Muhammad’s life and legacy is as important today as it was a over a thousand years ago.”
The program would also explore Islam’s attitudes towards money, charity, women, social equality, religious tolerance and war.
The series would also draws on the expertise and comment from some of the world’s leading academics and commentators on Islam
Commentators include Tariq Ramadan (academic and fellow of St Anthony’s College, Oxford), Ziauddin Sardar (writer and broadcaster), Tom Holland (historian and author), HRH Princess Badiya El Hassan of the Jordanian Royal Family, Amira K Bennison (Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, Cambridge University).
It also hosts Sajjad Rizvi, associate professor of Islamic Intellectual History, Exeter University, Bishop Nazir-Ali (Author of Islam: A Christian Perspective) and John L Esposito, a professor of religion and international affairs and Islamic studies at  Georgetown University.

Source: OnIslam & News Agencies