Did You Know?
In accordance with Muslim beliefs, Mohammed could not be depicted on screen nor could his voice be heard. This rule extended to his wives, his daughters and his sons-in-law. This left Mohammed's uncle as the central character (played by 'Quinn, Anthony'). In the completed film, actors speak directly to the camera and then nod to un-heard dialogue.
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Muhammad Ali expressed interest in playing the role of Bilal, but producer Moustapha Akkad refused, stating that such casting "would smack of commercialism."
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Production stopped when the financeers withdrew their support, leaving cast and crew stranded for two weeks in Morocco (in a hotel with broken air conditioning; they slept under wet towels). Financing was eventually supplied by none other than Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi.
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The University of Al-Azhar in Cairo and the High Islamic Congress of the Shiat in Lebanon were involved in approving the accuracy of the film.
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At its initial release, this movie was banned from many Middle-Eastern countries because the religious leaders didn't like the idea of having the Prophet Mohammed's story being made into a motion picture.
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This film was made in both English and Arabic with two different casts. Scenes were shot back to back in both languages.
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Libyan regular Army were used for the battle of Badr shot in the Sahara, versus mere extras!
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As a protest against the release of this film, Afro-American Hinafi Muslims, under their leader, Hamaas Abdul Khaalis (born Ernest McGhee, 1921 - 2003), seized several adjoining buildings in Washington DC, from March 9 - 11, 1977. They took 149 hostages and killed a police officer and a broadcast journalist in a 39-hour-long standoff.
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For almost all of his lines, Michael Forest is dubbed by a British actor to hide his American accent. This is highly ironic because Forest was also a very active dubbing voice actor at the time.
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