In sixth-century Mecca, Prophet Muhammad receives his first revelation from God as a messenger. Three years later, he's not alone in his quest and publicly declares his prophecy. Muhammad is fought by Abu Sufian and his wife Hind, rulers of Mecca. Muhammad's followers are hunted and tortured but he continues his calling.
Direction
Akkad's POV camera as Muhammad — never seen, always present.
Cinematography
Maurice Jarre's score over endless sand — pure cinematic dehydration.
Production
Shot twice: Arabic AND English versions, different casts, same scale.
Director
Moustapha Akkad
Abdallah Ghaith
Hamza ibn al-Muttalib
Ali Ahmed Salem
Bilal ibn Rabah
Mohamed El Arabi
Ammar ibn Yasir
Mounir Moasery
Djafar ibn Abi Talib
Ahmed Marei
Zayd ibn Harithah
Habib Ageli
Houdhayfa ibn Utba
Hamdy Ghaith
Abou Sufyan ibn Harb
Mona Wassef
Hind bint Utba
Hassan Al-Jundi
Abou al-Hakam
Abd Arabi
Utba
Tayeb Saddiki
Al-Walid ibn Utba
Mahmoud Saeed
Khalid ibn al-Walid
Mohamed Wafiq
Amr ibn al-As
Hassan Essakali
Abdulrahim El-Zurqani
Abou Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film sparked fatal riots in 1977 when Houthi protesters in Washington D.C. mistakenly believed Muhammad was depicted on screen — he never is. The scene they heard about was actually Hamza's death.
Moustapha Akkad, a Syrian-American producer, spent his entire career trying to bridge Muslim and Western audiences — this passion project and Halloween, which he also produced, represent his two worlds.
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