Muhammad: The Messenger of God 2015

Majidi’s film offers a sweeping, intimate look at pre-Islamic Arabia seen through the early life of Muhammad from birth to age thirteen. At the outset, a screen message explains that the film blends historical facts with personal impressions about Muhammad, and that some moments may resemble events in his life rather than strict historical records. This framing invites viewers to consider not just what happened, but how it could feel to witness these moments as a child forming a sense of mercy and presence.

The tale opens with the legendary invasion of Mecca led by Abraha, Arash Falahat Pisheh as the King of Habasha, who commands a well-armed host of thousands, with cavalry and elephants. As the armored line approaches the sacred city, the elephants are said to falter, and a sudden, miraculous counterforce is described: flocks of tiny birds rain down stones, annihilating the invaders and preserving the Kaaba’s sanctity. A month after this extraordinary event, Muhammad is born, and the camera shifts to cradle the newborn against a landscape of caravans, markets, and families that will shape his early years.

From the start, the film situates him within a living social world. Halimah Sareh Bayat tends to the infant and becomes a window into the customs of care, nurture, and community that cradle a child in that era. His mother, Aminah Mina Sadati, and his extended family, including Abu Talib Mehdi Pakdel and Abdul Muttalib Alireza Shojanoori, watch over him as the family navigates tribal loyalties, hardship, and the fragile balance between devotion and daily survival. The film threads in intimate vignettes that hint at the shaping of Muhammad’s character—his trust, his sense of justice, and the mercy he would come to embody.

As the narrative progresses toward the boy’s early adolescence, the world outside Mecca expands—mirroring the Prophet’s eventual travels. Hz. Ali Murat Şenol and Hamza Hamidreza Tajdolat appear as figures who embody courage and protection in the wider community, while Fatimah Pantea Mehdinia and other family members anchor the story in the intimate bonds of kinship. The film also introduces notable figures like Abu Lahab Mohammad Asgari and Bahira, the Syriac monk who will encounter the young Muhammad on a later journey; the monk is portrayed by Sadegh Hatefi. The director presents these threads with a patient, contemplative rhythm, resisting melodrama in favor of a sober, humane tone that emphasizes mercy, connection, and a sense of divine presence.

Toward the end, the story culminates with the young Muhammad’s journey toward Syria and the encounter with Bahira, a moment the film presents as a bridge to his future path and wider spiritual horizon. The production emphasizes a deliberate choice to portray these events as a blend of history and allegory rather than a strict chronicle, a stance that Majidi openly defends, stating that the film contains no controversies and no differences between Shia and Sunni viewpoints. In doing so, the film invites reflection on how a figure of universal significance can be imagined across cultures and time, keeping the focus on compassion, mercy, and the enduring resonance of Muhammad’s life.