In a ground-breaking first for British television, this three-part series presented by Rageh Omaar charts the life of Muhammad, a man who - for the billion and half Muslims across the globe - is the messenger and final prophet of God.
In a journey that is both literal and historical, and beginning in Muhammad's birthplace of Mecca, Omaar investigates the Arabia Muhammad was born into - a world of tribal loyalties and polytheistic religion.
Drawing on the expertise and comment of some of the world's leading academics and commentators on Islam, the programme examines Muhammad's first marriage to Khadijah and how he received the first of the revelations that had such a profound effect both on his life, and on the lives of those closest to him.
So far the describtion on the homepage from BBC. Though it is still not available worldwide (in Switzerland i couldn't watch the documentation yet) i got a nice summary from a friend in UK, who saw it. Here her describtion - based on that documentation:
He was humble and did not allow his companions to stand up when he met them or kiss his hand. He sat with his companions where he happened to be. A stranger walking into the room could not tell who the Prophet was by his position in the group.
He joked with his companions, played with their kids and put them in his lap. He loved his grandchildren, played with them, and even carried them on his shoulder while conducting the ritual prayers.
He smiled most of the time and disliked to say no. When asked a question he didn't want to answer, he remained silent. When given a choice, he always chose the easiest option. He emphasized that Islam is the Golden Mean and discouraged extremes of behavior.
He accepted all invitations, all apologies, all presents. He returned favors with equal or higher value presents. He visited the sick, was the first to greet people he met, was the last to pull away when shaking hands with someone or embracing him. He always listened to others until they finished what they had to say.
In the mosque, he cut the group prayer short if he heard a child crying outside to allow the child's mother to leave the mosque and take care of her child. He stopped his personal prayers if he noticed someone approaching to ask him something then resumed the prayers after the person's departure.
At home, he cleaned and mended his clothing repaired his shoes, milked his sheep and saddled his camel and horse. His servant reported that the Prophet never insulted, beaten, frowned to, or reprimanded him even when he didn't complete an assignment.
He was kind to animals and opened his door to a stray cat seeking shelter. One of his travelling companions once took 2 baby robins from a nest. When the Prophet saw the mother flapping her wings over the nest, he responded, "Who shocked this in her babies? Return her babies to her". He ordered his followers not to use animals for target practice. He also ordered those who slaughtered animals for food to sharpen their blades and not to slaughter an animal in view of another animal.He smiled most of the time and disliked to say no. When asked a question he didn't want to answer, he remained silent. When given a choice, he always chose the easiest option. He emphasized that Islam is the Golden Mean and discouraged extremes of behavior.
He accepted all invitations, all apologies, all presents. He returned favors with equal or higher value presents. He visited the sick, was the first to greet people he met, was the last to pull away when shaking hands with someone or embracing him. He always listened to others until they finished what they had to say.
In the mosque, he cut the group prayer short if he heard a child crying outside to allow the child's mother to leave the mosque and take care of her child. He stopped his personal prayers if he noticed someone approaching to ask him something then resumed the prayers after the person's departure.
At home, he cleaned and mended his clothing repaired his shoes, milked his sheep and saddled his camel and horse. His servant reported that the Prophet never insulted, beaten, frowned to, or reprimanded him even when he didn't complete an assignment.
He lived a very simple life and donated anything he earned or received beyond his minimum requirements to the needy on a daily basis. He placed his faith in God to provide for his future needs.
He prayed frequently which meant his body and clothing were always clean since Muslims must complete a cleansing ritual before praying.
He ate only when hungry and never reached his fill. He brushed his teeth after every meal. He advised his companions to keep one third of their stomach for food, one third for beverages, and one third for themselves.
The Prophet Muhammad once summarized his code to be: "mindfulness of God privately and publicly, fairness in anger or satisfaction, moderation in poverty or wealth, connecting with those who avoided him, giving to those who deprived him, forgiving those who wronged him, speaking out for what is good, and making his silence a meditation, his speech a recital of the name of God, and what he saw a lesson." This statement rhymes nicely in Arabic.
