The Life of Muhammad

Homework on the BBC documentary The Life of Muhammad: Good answers will be a strong paragraph of 5-10 sentences, with specific information from the film.

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BASED ON THE LINKED VIDEOS:

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W10-chDZ0y0

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQazfcaalp8&t=11s

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5xts-RLSUk

1. What challenges did Muhammad face in creating a religious community? Describe them and their implications.

2. What are the various views of the Constitution of Medina presented in the documentary? Summarize the different positions, and the arguments each scholar presents. What are the stakes in these arguments?

3. What would you say is the overall goal of Ziauddin Sardar and Faris Kermani in this episode? What are a couple of secondary goals of this episode? What do you think of the episode overall?

4. What are the implications of Muhammad’s marriages, especially to Aisha, presented in the documentary? What specific features of this moral code could be seen as progressive? What features could be seen as backward? What do different scholars in the film say about Shari’a? What are the stakes in this decision for the future of the religion? Why do you think the documentary spends time on this topic?

5. What would you say is the overall goal of Ziauddin Sardar and Faris Kermani in this episode? What are a couple of secondary goals of this episode? What do you think of the episode overall?

6. Write a clear, chronological summary of the life of Muhammad as presented in these 3 episodes.