AN EMPIRES SPECIAL: ISLAM: EMPIRE OF FAITH: THE MESSENGER {EPISODE 1 OF 3} (TV)
Summary
Episode one of three. This program, narrated by Ben Kingsley, tells the story of the Islamic religion from its foundation in the sixth century by the Prophet Mohammed through the height of the Ottoman Empire in the sixteenth century. This episode focuses on Mohammed, the founder of the Islam. Jonathan Bloom discusses the difficulty in finding Mohammed the man within the stories recorded about him in the Koran; Michael Sells and Esin Atil discuss Mohammed's childhood among the Bedouin, his place as an orphan in his uncle's tribe, and the role his early environment and social situation might have played in the development of his character and his beliefs. John Renard discusses the Bedouin culture of the Arabs in that period -- the oral traditions and poetry, and the significance of the Kabba at Mecca as a social stabilizer as well as the foundation of the Arabian economy. Walter B. Denny discusses the mix of cultures in Mecca, Mohammed's success as a merchant, and his marriage to Hadijah. The historians then proceed to discuss the formation of Mohammed's reputation as "Al Amin" ("The Trusted One), sealed after he solved disputes in Mecca. Sells discusses Mohammed's interest in religion and the unique concept of Divine Unity from which Islam sprang. Renard and Atil reflect upon the message of social justice and equality embedded in Mohammed's concepts, and the appeal these must have had to the poor and weak. Bloom discusses the preservation of the teachings of Mohammed in books; how these compilations, known as the Koran, were copied early and often; and how the words in the books became the representation of God in place of visual elements. Denny describes the beginnings of anti-Islamic sentiment among the tribal leaders and the subsequent unraveling of the social structure based around the Kabba. The historians then discuss Mohammed's journey to Yathrib (thereafter called Medina , "City of the Prophet") with his followers, the Hidra, in 622, as the real foundation of Islam as a religion; the first call to prayer by the freed Abyssinian slave, Bilal; and the unification of the Muslims by faith and not blood. They then discuss the battles against the armies of Mecca, Islam's victor, Mohammed's smashing of the idols in Mecca, the death of Mohammed, the split between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims, and the continuation of the religion after Mohammed. Muslim advances in the subsequent century are also covered, including the conquering of land from Morocco to the Indus river, the religious accommodations to the Christians and Jews, and the constructions of the mosque built on the site of St. John the Baptist in Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
Cataloging was funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2003.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: May 8, 2001 Tuesday 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:45:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:75503
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; Turkey - History - Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918; Islam; Religion
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Brian Donegan … Executive Producer
- Ron Devillier … Executive Producer
- Greg Diefenbach … Supervising Producer
- Morteza Shayesta … Producer
- Robert Gardner … Producer, Director
- Char Gardner … Associate Producer
- Hussam Ali … Field Producer
- Motaz Hadaya … Field Producer
- Mark Nino … Field Producer
- Zarife Ozturk … Field Producer
- Kamel Riadi … Field Producer
- Georgio de Marchi … Field Producer
- Jonathan Grupper … Writer
- Patrick Prentice … Writer
- Richard Roughton … Writer
- Leonard Lionnet … Music by
- Ben Kingsley … Narrator
- Esin Atil
- Jonathan Bloom
- Walter B. Denny
- John Renard
- Michael Sells
- Bilal
- Hadijah
- Mohammed