'The Message' is a movie about Muhammad, the life of the Prophet, and the message that he received from God. It's a story about the beginnings of Islam.
It moves at too slow a pace. But for anyone interested in learning a little more about Islam, its history, and its values, it's a good movie to watch. The most difficult aspect is that the director was forced by Muslim sensibilities not to portray the main character in the film.
To early Muslims, faced with the possibility that Muhammad might be worshipped after his death as a divine being in the same way that Jesus was by the Christians, chose to ban any representation of the Prophet. There is a strong sense of iconoclasm in Islam, not so much in opposition to Christianity, but in opposition to the idolatry of Arabia. The Kaaba, which was believed to have been built by Abraham, had become home to over 300 gods, which were worshipped at an annual pilgrimage that brought in lots of money to the merchants of Mecca. When Muhammad began to have revelations that there is only One God, this threatened the entire economic framework of his city at that time. He was driven out of the city, and only returned after his success at winning the hearts and minds of many Arabians in the region. At that point, Muhammad and his followers took over Mecca without bloodshed, and cleansed the Kaaba of the many gods. Muhammad declared Mecca to be a holy city, and the site of an annual pilgrimage to worship only the One True God.
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