The Movie, "The Message" ...

The other day, Geo TV aired the 1976 movie, The Message, as part of its Ramadan package. I have seen this movie quite a few times before, yet I felt the same sense of wonderment while watching it now that I had felt when I had watched the movie for the first time. The movie seeks to depict in a highly summarized manner the 23-year prophetic struggle of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). While the movie does a good job of what it portends to do, namely portray the reality of the times of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), I am nevertheless struck by the question of why the movie never seems to lose its attraction for people. It is just as popular today as it was some thirty years ago and it would be no exaggeration to say that The Message has been one of the most watched movies. One wanders what is so deeply attractive about a movie that is neither a love story nor an epic adventure, but is only the story of the personal ambition of a single man for an achievement that is next to impossible. Perhaps it is the fact that that the movie allows one to imagine one were there at the time all those events happened. The swords, the battles, the dialogues, the treaties, the conspiracies, the blessings, the people, the desert, the horses, and the camels, all combine to create a very real atmosphere that is devoid of any surrealism or false hypnotism. As such, the movie is a must-see for all Muslims (and non-Muslims too). Watch it!