1 00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:08,300 Narrator: Beyond these dark mountains lies Mecca. 2 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:14,916 Narrator: Here begins the story of Muhammad, whom Muslims honour as God's messenger and the final prophet. 3 00:00:15,136 --> 00:00:22,210 Narrator: A life remembered through revelation, migration, hardship, and a community learning to live by a new faith. 4 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:25,724 Narrator: The Quran is the foundation of this telling. 5 00:00:25,944 --> 00:00:29,712 Narrator: Later Islamic reports supply much of its chronology. 6 00:00:29,932 --> 00:00:34,587 Narrator: Adapted and imagined conversations are identified on screen. 7 00:00:34,807 --> 00:00:40,974 Narrator: Muhammad remains outside the frame; the landscapes and the people around him carry the story. 8 00:00:48,844 --> 00:00:53,698 Narrator: In the traditional biography, Muhammad is born into the Quraysh tribe. 9 00:00:53,918 --> 00:00:57,274 Narrator: His father, Abdullah, dies before his birth. 10 00:00:57,494 --> 00:01:01,325 Narrator: His mother, Amina, dies while he is still a child. 11 00:01:01,545 --> 00:01:05,841 Narrator: His grandfather cares for him, and then his uncle, Abu Talib. 12 00:01:06,061 --> 00:01:11,054 Narrator: Family protection matters deeply in a society organised through kinship. 13 00:01:11,924 --> 00:01:17,133 Reader: In chapter ninety-three, the Quran recalls an orphan who was given shelter. 14 00:01:17,353 --> 00:01:22,089 Reader: It calls for care toward the orphan and the person who asks for help. 15 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:25,626 Narrator: Loss belongs to the beginning of this life. 16 00:01:25,846 --> 00:01:30,339 Narrator: So does the obligation to protect those whom others might overlook. 17 00:01:38,209 --> 00:01:41,543 Narrator: Mecca is a sanctuary town amid rocky hills. 18 00:01:41,763 --> 00:01:45,665 Narrator: Traders bargain over goods; pilgrims gather at the Kaaba. 19 00:01:45,885 --> 00:01:49,806 Narrator: Later accounts remember Muhammad as a trustworthy merchant. 20 00:01:50,026 --> 00:01:53,824 Narrator: He works for Khadija, a businesswoman, and they marry. 21 00:01:54,044 --> 00:01:58,637 Narrator: She becomes his companion and, in Islamic tradition, his first believer. 22 00:01:59,507 --> 00:02:00,750 Trader · imagined dialogue: Set the weight down again. 23 00:02:00,970 --> 00:02:03,346 Trader · imagined dialogue: A bargain must be fair on both sides. 24 00:02:04,216 --> 00:02:07,419 Weaver · imagined dialogue: And a promise must still hold when the caravan has gone. 25 00:02:08,289 --> 00:02:11,290 Narrator: The market falls quiet after sunset. 26 00:02:11,510 --> 00:02:15,373 Narrator: Above the town, mountain paths lead away from its noise. 27 00:02:15,593 --> 00:02:20,174 Narrator: Muhammad begins spending periods in retreat at the cave of Hira. 28 00:02:28,044 --> 00:02:34,631 Narrator: According to a report preserved by al-Bukhari, revelation comes during one of these retreats. 29 00:02:34,851 --> 00:02:39,420 Narrator: Islamic tradition identifies the messenger as the angel Gabriel. 30 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:42,575 Narrator: Muhammad is commanded to read or recite. 31 00:02:42,795 --> 00:02:45,163 Narrator: The experience overwhelms him. 32 00:02:45,383 --> 00:02:51,116 Narrator: The opening verses of chapter ninety-six are traditionally associated with this beginning. 33 00:02:51,986 --> 00:02:55,927 Reader: Read, O Prophet, in the Name of your Lord Who created. 34 00:02:56,797 --> 00:03:03,295 Reader: The following verses speak of human creation, divine generosity, and learning through the pen. 35 00:03:04,165 --> 00:03:06,001 Narrator: He returns home frightened. 36 00:03:06,221 --> 00:03:12,924 Narrator: Before public preaching, before journeys and treaties, there is a door opening, and someone ready to listen. 37 00:03:20,794 --> 00:03:24,033 Narrator: The report describes Muhammad asking to be covered. 38 00:03:24,253 --> 00:03:28,359 Narrator: Khadija steadies him by recalling the life he has already lived. 39 00:03:29,229 --> 00:03:30,778 Khadija · adapted report: You stand by your family. 40 00:03:30,998 --> 00:03:34,509 Khadija · adapted report: You make room for the stranger and help people in distress. 41 00:03:34,729 --> 00:03:37,080 Khadija · adapted report: God will not abandon you to disgrace. 42 00:03:37,950 --> 00:03:42,582 Narrator: She brings him to her cousin Waraqa, a Christian familiar with scripture. 43 00:03:42,802 --> 00:03:48,241 Narrator: In the account, Waraqa connects the experience with the revelation given to Moses. 44 00:03:48,461 --> 00:03:51,192 Narrator: He also anticipates resistance. 45 00:03:52,062 --> 00:03:55,071 Waraqa · adapted report: This is the messenger who came to Moses. 46 00:03:55,291 --> 00:03:57,996 Waraqa · adapted report: A message like this brings opposition. 47 00:03:58,216 --> 00:04:02,255 Waraqa · adapted report: If I live to see that day, I will stand beside you. 48 00:04:03,125 --> 00:04:06,188 Narrator: Reassurance does not make the road easy. 49 00:04:06,408 --> 00:04:08,589 Narrator: It makes the next step possible. 50 00:04:16,459 --> 00:04:22,475 Narrator: Muhammad's proclamation calls people to worship one God and to answer for their deeds. 51 00:04:22,695 --> 00:04:25,969 Narrator: For Muslims, the revelations become the Quran. 52 00:04:26,189 --> 00:04:31,158 Narrator: The message challenges the town's religious customs and powerful interests. 53 00:04:31,378 --> 00:04:35,397 Narrator: It also asks what worship means when a neighbour goes hungry. 54 00:04:36,267 --> 00:04:41,604 Reader: Chapter one hundred and twelve declares God's oneness and incomparability. 55 00:04:41,824 --> 00:04:49,463 Reader: Chapter one hundred and seven condemns neglect of the orphan and the poor, and worship performed only for display. 56 00:04:50,333 --> 00:04:53,898 Weaver · imagined dialogue: If we speak of generosity, there should be bread at this door. 57 00:04:54,768 --> 00:04:56,647 Trader · imagined dialogue: Then take a share from my basket. 58 00:04:56,867 --> 00:04:57,837 Trader · imagined dialogue: Begin here. 59 00:05:05,707 --> 00:05:08,667 Narrator: Believers face ridicule and persecution. 60 00:05:08,887 --> 00:05:13,136 Narrator: Some seek refuge across the Red Sea in Christian Abyssinia. 61 00:05:13,356 --> 00:05:17,956 Narrator: Traditional accounts also describe a boycott against Muhammad's clan. 62 00:05:18,176 --> 00:05:22,207 Narrator: Bonds of kinship offer protection, but hunger and pressure test them. 63 00:05:23,077 --> 00:05:24,997 Traveler · imagined dialogue: I have packed what we can carry. 64 00:05:25,217 --> 00:05:26,618 Traveler · imagined dialogue: The rest must stay. 65 00:05:27,488 --> 00:05:29,629 Weaver · imagined dialogue: Keep close until we reach the shore. 66 00:05:30,499 --> 00:05:34,616 Narrator: Around six nineteen, Khadija and Abu Talib die. 67 00:05:34,836 --> 00:05:40,097 Narrator: Muhammad loses both an intimate source of courage and a powerful protector. 68 00:05:40,317 --> 00:05:43,694 Narrator: These losses are remembered as a season of grief. 69 00:05:43,914 --> 00:05:47,418 Narrator: The message continues, but the homecoming has changed. 70 00:05:55,288 --> 00:06:03,072 Reader: The opening of chapter seventeen praises God for taking His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest 71 00:06:03,152 --> 00:06:05,976 Reader: Mosque, to show him divine signs. 72 00:06:06,846 --> 00:06:14,240 Narrator: Islamic tradition links this journey with Jerusalem and tells of an ascent through the heavens, encounters with earlier 73 00:06:14,320 --> 00:06:18,321 Narrator: prophets, and the establishment of five daily prayers. 74 00:06:18,541 --> 00:06:21,884 Narrator: The details come from reports beyond this verse. 75 00:06:22,104 --> 00:06:27,223 Narrator: This sky is a visual metaphor for wonder, not a reconstruction of the unseen. 76 00:06:28,093 --> 00:06:35,800 Narrator: The tradition places Muhammad within the line of earlier messengers, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. 77 00:06:36,020 --> 00:06:42,096 Narrator: The story looks backward toward a shared sacred history, and forward toward a journey on earth. 78 00:06:49,966 --> 00:06:53,787 Narrator: An opening comes from Yathrib, an oasis to the north. 79 00:06:54,007 --> 00:06:56,456 Narrator: Muhammad's followers begin to migrate. 80 00:06:56,676 --> 00:06:59,644 Narrator: In six twenty-two, he leaves Mecca too. 81 00:06:59,864 --> 00:07:06,691 Narrator: The journey becomes known as the Hijra, and its year later becomes the starting point of the Islamic calendar. 82 00:07:07,561 --> 00:07:11,414 Reader: Chapter nine remembers two people sheltering in a cave. 83 00:07:11,634 --> 00:07:16,021 Reader: The messenger reassures his companion of God's presence and help. 84 00:07:16,891 --> 00:07:20,856 Narrator: Later reports identify the companion as Abu Bakr. 85 00:07:21,076 --> 00:07:26,319 Narrator: Leaving means separation from homes, livelihoods, and the sanctuary. 86 00:07:26,539 --> 00:07:31,164 Narrator: Ahead lies the possibility of belonging through faith as well as family. 87 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:35,324 Narrator: Yathrib will become known as Medina, the city of the Prophet. 88 00:07:43,194 --> 00:07:49,587 Narrator: A simple mosque takes shape with earthen walls, palm trunks, and a roof of palm branches. 89 00:07:49,807 --> 00:07:53,909 Narrator: It is a place for prayer and for the affairs of a growing community. 90 00:07:54,129 --> 00:07:58,448 Narrator: Emigrants from Mecca build new ties with the people who receive them. 91 00:07:59,318 --> 00:08:00,919 Builder · imagined dialogue: Lift this end with me. 92 00:08:01,139 --> 00:08:03,278 Builder · imagined dialogue: The shade will reach the courtyard. 93 00:08:04,148 --> 00:08:05,579 Traveler · imagined dialogue: Yesterday I was a guest. 94 00:08:05,799 --> 00:08:07,617 Traveler · imagined dialogue: Today there is work for my hands. 95 00:08:08,487 --> 00:08:15,325 Narrator: A document preserved in later sources regulates obligations among believers and Jewish groups. 96 00:08:15,545 --> 00:08:18,901 Narrator: Scholars debate its layers and precise membership. 97 00:08:19,121 --> 00:08:25,887 Narrator: Medina is a place of alliances and distinct religious communities, not a town without differences. 98 00:08:26,107 --> 00:08:31,426 Narrator: During this period, the Quran directs prayer toward the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. 99 00:08:39,296 --> 00:08:42,427 Narrator: Migration does not end the struggle with Mecca. 100 00:08:42,647 --> 00:08:48,308 Narrator: Caravan raids, political rivalry, and armed confrontation shape these years. 101 00:08:48,528 --> 00:08:53,421 Narrator: At Badr in six twenty-four, Muhammad's followers win a major victory. 102 00:08:53,641 --> 00:08:58,615 Narrator: The following year at Uhud, they suffer severe losses and Muhammad is wounded. 103 00:08:59,485 --> 00:09:05,407 Reader: Chapter eight reflects on battle, spoils, obedience, and responsibility. 104 00:09:05,627 --> 00:09:13,809 Reader: In chapter three, a passage associated with Uhud describes a breakdown in resolve and disagreement over an order. 105 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:19,650 Narrator: These are battles fought by human beings, with bereavement on every side. 106 00:09:19,870 --> 00:09:23,197 Narrator: The sources preserve victory and failure together. 107 00:09:23,417 --> 00:09:28,479 Narrator: The community must confront its own decisions as well as its opponents. 108 00:09:36,349 --> 00:09:40,152 Narrator: In six twenty-seven, a coalition besieges Medina. 109 00:09:40,372 --> 00:09:44,211 Narrator: The traditional narrative describes a defensive trench. 110 00:09:44,431 --> 00:09:49,628 Narrator: The Quran evokes fear during the siege and the dispersal of the attacking forces. 111 00:09:50,498 --> 00:09:53,621 Narrator: The aftermath includes a grave episode. 112 00:09:53,841 --> 00:09:59,619 Narrator: Islamic reports accuse the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayza of siding with the attackers. 113 00:09:59,839 --> 00:10:07,722 Narrator: They describe Muhammad accepting Saad ibn Muadh's judgment: the killing of the fighting men and the enslavement of women 114 00:10:07,802 --> 00:10:08,889 Narrator: and children. 115 00:10:09,109 --> 00:10:16,068 Narrator: The Quran itself refers to killing and captivity among a group of the People of the Book, without naming the tribe. 116 00:10:16,938 --> 00:10:20,663 Narrator: The scale and details in later accounts are debated. 117 00:10:20,883 --> 00:10:23,224 Narrator: The suffering belongs in the story. 118 00:10:23,444 --> 00:10:28,197 Narrator: It must not be turned into collective blame against Jews, then or now. 119 00:10:36,067 --> 00:10:43,914 Narrator: Muhammad and his followers approach Mecca intending pilgrimage, but negotiations halt their journey at Hudaybiyya. 120 00:10:44,134 --> 00:10:45,730 Narrator: A truce is agreed. 121 00:10:45,950 --> 00:10:50,362 Narrator: The Muslims must return home and make their visit the following year. 122 00:10:50,582 --> 00:10:54,567 Narrator: Other terms appear painfully unequal to some of the believers. 123 00:10:55,437 --> 00:10:56,749 Traveler · imagined dialogue: We came all this way. 124 00:10:56,969 --> 00:10:59,694 Traveler · imagined dialogue: Must we turn back with the sanctuary so near? 125 00:11:00,564 --> 00:11:02,254 Builder · imagined dialogue: The road is still there. 126 00:11:02,474 --> 00:11:05,824 Builder · imagined dialogue: If the fighting stops, perhaps more doors will open. 127 00:11:06,694 --> 00:11:12,433 Narrator: Chapter forty-eight announces a clear opening, traditionally connected with this agreement. 128 00:11:12,653 --> 00:11:17,065 Narrator: What looks like retreat becomes a decisive political turning point. 129 00:11:17,285 --> 00:11:21,626 Narrator: The treaty gives the growing community room to move, meet, and speak. 130 00:11:29,496 --> 00:11:35,865 Narrator: After the truce breaks down, Muhammad advances on Mecca in six thirty with a powerful force. 131 00:11:36,085 --> 00:11:42,734 Narrator: The city comes under his authority with limited resistance, although reports also describe fighting. 132 00:11:42,954 --> 00:11:48,175 Narrator: This is a conquest; it is not accurate to call every part of it bloodless. 133 00:11:49,045 --> 00:11:55,725 Narrator: Islamic accounts describe protection offered to many who stay in their homes or designated places. 134 00:11:55,945 --> 00:11:58,578 Narrator: At the Kaaba, idols are removed. 135 00:11:58,798 --> 00:12:02,595 Narrator: The sanctuary is dedicated to the worship of God alone. 136 00:12:02,815 --> 00:12:09,074 Narrator: The exile has returned, and the centre of the community's prayer is now under Muslim control. 137 00:12:09,944 --> 00:12:12,421 Narrator: Muhammad returns to live in Medina. 138 00:12:12,641 --> 00:12:19,651 Narrator: His influence extends across much of Arabia through further conflict, agreements, and delegations. 139 00:12:19,871 --> 00:12:22,959 Narrator: The journey is approaching its final season. 140 00:12:30,829 --> 00:12:35,128 Narrator: In six thirty-two, Muhammad undertakes his final pilgrimage. 141 00:12:35,348 --> 00:12:42,727 Narrator: A report from Jabir, preserved in Sahih Muslim, recalls teaching about the sanctity of life and property, ending 142 00:12:42,807 --> 00:12:49,405 Narrator: inherited blood vengeance and usury, obligations within marriage, and holding to God's book. 143 00:12:49,625 --> 00:12:56,336 Narrator: Versions of the farewell addresses differ; no single modern compilation should be mistaken for a recording. 144 00:12:57,206 --> 00:13:03,550 Reader: Elsewhere, the Quran addresses humanity as peoples and tribes who should come to know one another. 145 00:13:03,770 --> 00:13:06,908 Reader: Honour before God is measured through righteousness. 146 00:13:07,778 --> 00:13:11,081 Narrator: Across the plain, pilgrims will carry memories home. 147 00:13:11,301 --> 00:13:17,347 Narrator: The central question outlasts the gathering: how will belief shape the way people treat one another? 148 00:13:25,217 --> 00:13:30,611 Narrator: After returning to Medina, Muhammad falls ill and dies in six thirty-two. 149 00:13:30,831 --> 00:13:32,661 Narrator: The loss shakes the community. 150 00:13:32,881 --> 00:13:40,479 Narrator: In a report preserved by al-Bukhari, Abu Bakr reminds the people that Muhammad has died, while God does not die. 151 00:13:41,349 --> 00:13:46,877 Reader: Chapter three describes Muhammad as a messenger preceded by other messengers. 152 00:13:47,097 --> 00:13:50,852 Reader: It asks whether his death would make people turn away. 153 00:13:51,722 --> 00:13:55,356 Narrator: For Muslims, Muhammad is a human prophet, not divine. 154 00:13:55,576 --> 00:14:01,288 Narrator: His death closes a life, while the Quran and the memory of his example continue. 155 00:14:01,508 --> 00:14:06,988 Narrator: The community must now face questions of leadership and responsibility without him. 156 00:14:14,858 --> 00:14:17,403 Weaver · imagined dialogue: What do we carry when a journey ends? 157 00:14:18,273 --> 00:14:19,443 Traveler · imagined dialogue: What we have learned. 158 00:14:19,663 --> 00:14:21,182 Traveler · imagined dialogue: The promises we have made. 159 00:14:21,402 --> 00:14:23,153 Traveler · imagined dialogue: And the people who still need us. 160 00:14:24,023 --> 00:14:31,607 Narrator: From the orphan of Mecca to the messenger in Medina, this story holds devotion and loss, generosity and conflict, 161 00:14:31,687 --> 00:14:34,255 Narrator: conviction and difficult choices. 162 00:14:34,475 --> 00:14:39,665 Narrator: Muslims continue to turn to the Quran and the Prophet's example for guidance. 163 00:14:39,885 --> 00:14:43,711 Narrator: The care owed to another person remains a task for the living. 164 00:14:51,581 --> 00:14:58,914 Narrator: Based on Quranic passages, reports in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, and historical research. 165 00:14:59,134 --> 00:15:06,302 Narrator: The accompanying sourcebook separates scripture, tradition, scholarly uncertainty, and dramatic invention. 166 00:15:06,522 --> 00:15:12,149 Narrator: The animation, music, and English performances are contemporary creations. 167 00:15:12,369 --> 00:15:13,829 Narrator: Thank you for watching.