List of Islam-related films
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This is a list of films, television serials and programmes related to Islamic civilization, i.e. Islam, Islamic history and Islamic culture. For ease of classification this article defines the following terms as such:
- "Documentary" refers to educational films and series of an informative nature.
- "Film" refers to dramatic films following a narrative/story.
- "Television" refers to serials, programmes and dramas that consist of more than one episode.
Children's / animated films
[edit]Short films
[edit]- 1001 Inventions and the Library of Secrets, featuring Ben Kingsley as Al-Jazari.
Religion
[edit]General
[edit]| Title | Year | Type | Country | Based On | Channel | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khalid ibn el Walid | 1958 | Film | Egypt | Early history | - | - |
| Yusuf ile Züleykha | 1970 | Film | Turkey-Iran | Joseph | Based on the Islamic account of Joseph | |
| The Message | 1976 | Film | Libya | Life of Muhammad | A film on the life of Muhammad. | |
| Shaheen | 1980 | TV Series | Pakistan | Early history | - | Based on the historical novel by Naseem Hijazi depicting the Muslims in Spain and the Fall of Granada |
| A Door to the Sky | 1982 | Film | Morocco | Sufism | About a woman who opens a Sufi shelter for women. | |
| The Noon of the 10th Day | 1988 | Documentary | Iran | Early history | - | Shia Muslim practice of Mourning on the 10th of Muharram |
| The Sword of Tipu Sultan | 1990 | TV Series | India | Early history | DD National | Portrayal of Tipu Sultan, ruler of Mysore. |
| Imam Ali Series | 1992 | TV Series | Iran | Early history | - | Life of Ali from becoming the Caliph to his assassination. |
| Ayyub e Payambar | 1993 | Film | Iran | Job | Based on the Islamic account of Job | |
| The Fateful Day | 1994 | Film | Iran | Early history | - | - |
| Loneliest Leader | 1997 | TV Series | Iran | Early history | - | Last part of Hasan ibn Ali's life |
| The Men of Angelos | 1997 | Television | Iran | People of Cave | Based on the Islamic tradition of the Sleepers in the Cave described in Surah Al-Kahf. | |
| Islam: Empire of Faith | 2000 | Documentary | USA | Life of Muhammad | PBS | On the life of Muhammad, spread of Islam, and the rise and fall of Islamic civilizations. |
| Islam: Empire of Faith | 2000 | Documentary | USA | Early history | PBS | History of Islam narrated by Sir Ben Kingsley. |
| Velayate eshgh | 2000 | TV Series | Iran | Early history | - | Life of Ali al-Ridha, the 8th Imam of Twelver Shi'ism. |
| Inside Islam | 2002 | Documentary | USA | General | History Channel | Covers various aspects of Islam. |
| Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet | 2002 | Documentary | USA | Life of Muhammad | PBS | A documentary on Muhammad as seen by Muslims. |
| Saint Mary | 2002 | Film | Iran | Mary | Based on the Islamic account of Mary, mother of Jesus. | |
| Saqr Qoraish | 2002 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Abd al-Rahman I and the founding of the Emirate of Cordoba |
| Al Hajjaj | 2003 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Series on Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. |
| Inside Mecca | 2003 | Documentary | USA | Hajj | National Geographic | On the Hajj. |
| Rabee' Qortoba | 2003 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Muslims living in Cordoba in Al-Andalus |
| An Islamic History of Europe | 2005 | Documentary | UK | Early history | BBC | History of Islam in Europe, presented by Rageh Omaar |
| Mulouk Al-Tawa'ef | 2005 | TV Series | Syria | Early history | - | - |
| What the Ancients Did for Us | 2005 | Documentary | UK | Early history | BBC | Episode 1: The Islamic World. |
| When the Moors Ruled in Europe | 2005 | Documentary | UK | Early history | Channel 4 | History of Islamic Spain. |
| Khalid ibn al-Walid | 2006 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Life of Khalid ibn Walid. |
| Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain | 2007 | Documentary | - | Early history | - | Civilization of Islamic Spain. |
| Ten Days | 2007 | Documentary | Pakistan | Ashura | An ethnomusicological film about the Ashura festival in Pakistan. | |
| The Caravan of the Andalusian Manuscripts | 2007 | Documentary | Spain | Early history | - | Tracing scientific manuscripts in Andalusia. |
| The Messiah | 2007 | Film | Iran | Jesus | Based on the Islamic account of Jesus Christ | |
| The Muslim Jesus | 2007 | Documentary | UK | Jesus | ITV | On the Islamic view of Jesus. |
| Abraham: The Friend of God | 2008 | Film | Iran | Abraham | Based on the Islamic account of Abraham. | |
| Muhammad: The Final Legacy | 2008 | Television | Arab | Life of Muhammad | An Arab series also known as Qamar Bani Hashim. | |
| Prophet Joseph | 2008 | Television | Iran | Joseph | Based on the Islamic account of Joseph | |
| Science and Islam | 2009 | Documentary | UK | Early history | BBC | Science in the medieval Islamic world featuring Jim Al-Khalili |
| Bohlol Dana - A Sage of Baghdad | 2010 | Film | India | Early history | - | About Bahlool, a companion of Imam Musa al-Kadhim |
| Mokhtarnameh | 2010 | TV Series | Iran | Early history | - | Life of Mukhtar al-Thaqafi, the Battle of Karbala, and Hasan and Husayn. |
| The Kingdom of Solomon | 2010 | Film | Iran | Solomon | Based on the Islamic account of the Israelite prophet-king Solomon. | |
| If he were among us | 2011 | Television | Unknown | Details not provided. | ||
| Koran by Heart | 2011 | Documentary | USA | Quran | HBO | On the annual children's Quran recitation contest held in Cairo. |
| Muawiya, Hassan and Hussein | 2011 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Events during the lives of Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali. |
| Ramadan Roundup | 2011 | Television | Unknown | Details not provided. | ||
| The Life of Muhammad | 2011 | Documentary | UK | Life of Muhammad | BBC | A documentary on the life of Muhammad. |
| Understanding Islam | 2011 | Television | Unknown | Details not provided. | ||
| Omar | 2012 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Life of the Second Rashidun Caliph, Umar ibn Khattab |
| Jodha Akbar | 2013 | TV Series | India | Early history | - | Mughal Emperor Jalaluddin Akbar and his wife Mariam-uz-Zamani. |
| Khaybar | 2013 | Television | Arab | Life of Muhammad | An Arab series on the events of the Battle of Khaybar.. | |
| Uwais Al Qarni | 2013 | Film | - | Early history | - | Tabi'i and Muslim saint Uwais Al-Qarni. |
| À la découverte de l'Aïd al-Adha | 2014 | Documentary | France | Eid al-Adha | Farid Dms Debah | French documentary on the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha. |
| He Who Said No | 2014 | Film | Iran | Early history | - | Battle of Karbala and the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali |
| Muhammad: The Messenger of God | 2015 | Film | Iran | Life of Muhammad | Based on the early life of Muhammad. This film is controversial due to depiction of Islamic prophets amongst Muslims. See aniconism in Islam. | |
| One Day in the Haram
Arabic: يوم في الحرم (فيلم) |
2017 | Documentary | USA | Makkah | Arabia Pictures | On the Grand Mosque in the Holy Sanctuary at Makkah. |
| The Imam | 2017 | TV Series | - | Early history | - | Life of the founder of the Hanbali school of law, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal |
| You Will Die at Twenty | 2019 | Film | Sudan | Sufism | ||
| The Empire (TV series) | 2021 | TV Series | India | Early history | Disney+ Hotstar | Zahiruddin Muhammad Babur the founder of Mughal Empire. |
| The Lady of Heaven | 2021 | Film | UK | Life of Muhammad | A film on the life of Muhammad and his daughter, Fatima. | |
| Moses the Kalimullah: At Dawn | 2025 | Film | Iran | Moses |
History
[edit]Crusades and Mongol Invasions
[edit]Documentary
[edit]- The Sultan and the Saint (PBS, 2016) on the meeting of Egyptian Sultan Al-Kamil and St. Francis of Assisi.
- The Crusades, An Arab Perspective (Al Jazeera, 2016) based on the book "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" by Amin Maalouf.
Film
[edit]- Saladin the Victorious (Egypt, 1963) on Saladin, drawing parallels between him and Gamal Abdel Nasser.
- Melikşah (Turkey-Iran, 1969)
- Selahattin Eyyubi (Turkey-Iran, 1970)
- Kingdom of Heaven (2005), Western film on the Crusades, well-received in the Islamic World for its positive representation of Islam and Muslims.
- Direniş Karatay (Turkey, 2018) depicts Celâleddin Karatay and Ahi Evren.
- Malazgirt 1071 based on the Battle of Malazgirt.
Television
[edit]- Aakhri Chataan (Urdu: The Last Rock) (Pakistan, 1985), a series based on the historical novel of the same name by Naseem Hijazi depicting the Mongol Invasion of the Khwarazm Sultanate and the subsequent Fall of Baghdad.
- Salah Al-deen Al-Ayyobi (2001), an Arab series on Saladin and the Crusades.
- Al-Zahir Bibars (2005), an Arab series on Mamluk Sultan Baibars.
- Uyanış: Büyük Selçuklu (2020), a Turkish series on the life of Malik-Shah I and his son Ahmad Sanjar of the Seljuk Empire.
- Mendirman Jaloliddin (Turkey, 2021), a series based on Jalal al-Din Mangburni and Mongol invasions.
- Kudüs Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi (2023), a Pakistani-Turkish series on Saladin and the Crusades.
Ottomans
[edit]Documentary
[edit]- The Ottomans: Europe's Muslim Emperors (BBC, 2013) on the Ottoman Empire.
- Rise of Empires: Ottoman (Netflix, 2020)
Film
[edit]- Al Hilal (India, 1935) on the Byzantine–Ottoman Wars.
- The Conquest of Constantinople (Turkey, 1951) on the Conquest of Constantinople.
- Fetih 1453 (Turkey, 2012) on the conquest of Constantinople by Sultan Mehmed II.
Television
[edit]- Fatih (Turkey, 2013) on the life of the 7th Ottoman Sultan, Mehmed II.
- Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Turkey, 2011) on the life of the 10th Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent & Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem (Turkey, 2015) on the life of Kösem Sultan.
- The Last Emperor (Turkey, 2017) on the reign of the 34th Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, based on Islamist historical revisionism.
- Kingdoms of Fire (2019), Arab series on the Ottoman Empire and the Mamluk Sultanate.
- Diriliş: Ertuğrul (2014) and the sequel, Kuruluş: Osman (2019), Turkish series on Ertuğrul, Osman Gazi, and the founding of the Ottoman Empire.
- Barbaros: Sword of the Mediterranean (Turkey, 2021) on the life of Hayreddin Barbarossa, an Ottoman admiral of the 16th century.
Biopic
[edit]Documentary
[edit]- Al-Ghazali: The Alchemist of Happiness (2004), on the life of Islamic scholar Al-Ghazali.
- Prince Among Slaves (PBS, 2006) on the life of African Muslim enslaved in Mississippi, Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori.
- A Road to Mecca - The Journey of Muhammad Asad (2008) on the life and conversion of Muhammad Asad.
- Journey to Mecca (National Geographic, 2009) on the travels of Ibn Battuta.
- The Man Who Walked Across the World (BBC Four). Series of documentary travelogues following in the footsteps of 14th Century Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta, who covered 75,000 miles, 40 countries and three continents in a 30-year odyssey.
Film
[edit]- Lion of the Desert (Libya, 1981) on the life of Omar Mukhtar.
- Malcolm X (1992), American film on the life, conversion and Hajj of Malcolm X.
- Free Man (Turkey, 2011) on the life of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi.
- Les Hommes libres (Free Men, 2011, France), on the life of Si Kaddour Benghabrit.
Television
[edit]- Al-Tabari (Egypt, 1987) on the life of Muslim historian and exegete, Ibn Jarir al-Tabari.
- Roof of the World (Syria, 2007) on the journeys of medieval Arab traveller Ahmad ibn Fadlan.
- The Ladder of the Sky (Iran, 2009) on Persian astronomer Jamshid Kashani.
Sufism
[edit]- Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu (Turkey, 2015) on Turkish Sufi poet Yunus Emre.
- Mavera (Turkey, 2021) on the life of Turkish Sufi Ahmad Yasawi.
- Haci Bayram Veli: Aşkin Yolculuğu (2022) a Turkish series on the life of Sufi Haji Bayram Veli.
Culture
[edit]General
[edit]Documentary
[edit]- Nations Cultures - Muslims (Iran, 1994) showcasing the life and cultures of Muslims in various countries.
- On a Tightrope (2007), Uyghur documentary on the experience of Uyghur Muslims in China.
- Veiled Ambition (2007)
- Seven Wonders of the Muslim World (PBS, 2008)
- Müezzin (2009), Turkish documentary about the annual Turkish competition for the best muezzin.
- Islamic Art: Mirror of the Invisible World (PBS, 2012) on the development of Islamic art and architecture.
Film
[edit]- Semum (Turkey, 2008) horror film dealing with subjects of devils and Exorcism in Islam.
- Munafik (2016) and Munafik 2 (2018), Malaysian horror films dealing with subjects of Jinn and Exorcism in Islam.
Television
[edit]- All-American Muslim (TLC, 2011)
Comedy
[edit]Documentary
[edit]- The Muslims Are Coming! (2013)
Film
[edit]- Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
- Mecca I'm Coming (2019)
Television
[edit]- Little Mosque on the Prairie (CBC, 2007)
- Citizen Khan (BBC, 2012)