This is a 1976 film directed by Moustapha Akkad chronicling the life and

times of Prophet Muhammad , the Last & Final Prophet & Messenger
sent to mankind. Released in both Arabic and English, The Message (Ar-
Risaalah) serves as an introduction to early Islamic history.The film
follows the Messenger of Allaah starting with Islam's beginnings in
Makkah in which the Muslims are persecuted for their beliefs, the exodus
to Madinah, and ending with the Muslims' triumphant return to Makkah. A
number of crucial events, such as the Battle of Badr and Battle of 'Uhud
are depicted, and the majority of the story is told from the point-of-view of
peripheral individuals such as Hamza ibn `Abd al-Muttalib (Prophet
Muhammad's uncle), Bilal and Zaid (Two of the Prophet's close
companions), and on the other side Abu Sufyan (the leader of Makkah)
and his wife Hind bint Utbah (enemies of Islaam who later become
Muslims themselves) which is Radi-Allaahu 'Anhum'.

Handsomely-mounted historical epic concerns the birth of the Islamic faith

and the story of the Final Prophet Muhammed - who, in accordance with
the tenants of Islaam, is never to be depicted (as this is against certain
Islamic schools of thought). In Makkah, in the 7th century, the Last
Messenger of Allaah - Prophet Muhammah is visited by a vision of the
Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) ['Alyhis-Salaam], who urges him to lead the
people of Makkah to cast aside the 300 idols of the Ka'bah and instead
worship Allaah (the One True God), speaking out against the corrupt
political and military leaders who rule Makkah. With the help of his uncle,
a brave warrior named Hamza [RadiAllaahu-'anhu] - (played by Anthony
Quinn), Prophet Muhammad and his followers return to Makkah to
liberate the city in the name of Allaah (Subhaanahu wa ta 'Ala). The
Message (originally screened in the U.S. as Muhammad , Messenger of
God) proved to be highly controversial during its production and initial
release. Unfounded rumours had it that Mohammed would not only be
depicted in the film, but that he was to be played by Charlton Heston or
Peter O'Toole. This resulted in protests by some Muslims, until director
Moustapha Akkad hired a staff of respected Islamic clerics as technical
advisor's. The Message was shot in two versions, one in English and one
in Arabic (entitled Ar-Risaalah), with different actors taking over some of
the roles due to language requirements.

Director Akkad faced resistance from Hollywood to making a film about

the origins of Islaam and had to go outside the United States to raise the
production money for the film. Lack of financing nearly shut down the
film as the initial backers pulled out; financing was finally provided by
two big donors, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and then-Libyan leader
Muammar al-Gaddafi. The film was shot in Libya and Morocco, with
production taking four and a half months to build the cities of Makkah and
Madinah as they looked in Prophet Muhammad's time.
Director Akkad saw the film as a way to bridge the gap between the
Western and Islamic world, stating in a 1976 interview:

"I did the film because it is a personal thing for me. Besides its production
values as a film, it has its story, its intrigue, its drama. Beside all this I
think there was something personal, being Muslim myself who lived in the
west I felt that it was my obligation, my duty to tell the truth about Islaam.
It is a religion that has a 700 million following [1976] (nearly 2 Billion as
of 2013), yet it's so little known about it which surprised me. I thought I
should tell the story that will bring this bridge, this gap to the West."

Akkad also filmed an Arabic version of the film (in which Muna Wassef
played Hind) simultaneously with an Arab cast, for Arabic-speaking
audiences. He felt that dubbing the English version in Arabic would not be
enough, as the Arabic acting style differs significantly from that of
Hollywood. The actors took turns doing the English and Arabic versions in
each scene. Both the English and Arabic versions are now sold together on
some DVDs.

In a film review, The New York Times reported that "when the film was
scheduled to premier in the U.S., another Muslim extremist group staged a
siege against the Washington D.C. chapter of the B'nai B'rith under the
mistaken belief that Anthony Quinn played Prophet Muhammad in the
film, threatening to blow up the building and its inhabitants unless the
film's opening was cancelled. The standoff was resolved" after the deaths
of a journalist and policeman, but "the film's American box office
prospects never recovered from the unfortunate controversy."

In accordance with Sunni beliefs regarding depictions of the Final

Messenger of Allaah - Prophet Muhammad , he was not depicted on-
screen nor was his voice heard. At the beginning of the film, a statement is
displayed, "The makers of this film honour the Islamic tradition which
holds that the impersonation of the Prophet offends against the spirituality
of his Message. Therefore, the person of Prophet Muhammad will not be
shown."
This rule extended to his wives, his daughter, his sons-in-law, and the first
caliphs (Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali [RadiAllaahu-'anhum]). This left
Prophet Muhammad's uncle Hamza [RadiAllaahu-'anhu] (played by
Anthony Quinn) and his adopted son Zayd [RadiAllaahu-'anhu] (Damien
Thomas) as the central characters. During the battles of Badr and 'Uhud
depicted in the Movie, Hamza (RadiAllaahu-'anhu) was in nominal
command, even though the actual fighting was led by the Final Messenger
of Allaah-Prophet Muhammad.

Whenever the Last Prophet - Muhammad was present or very close by, his
presence was indicated by light organ music. His words, as he spoke them, were
repeated by someone else such as Hamza, Zayd and Bilal [RadiAllaahu-anhum].
When a scene called for him to be present, the action was filmed from his point
of view. Others in the scene nodded to the unheard dialogue. The closest the
film comes to a depiction of Prophet Muhammad or his immediate family are
the view of Ali's famous two-pronged sword Dhul-fiqar during the battle scenes,
a glimpse of a staff in the scenes at the Ka'bah or in Madinah, and Prophet
Muhammad's camel, Qaswa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DxCU6A9yNI&feature=youtu.be