user-871-34619 "The Making of Islam: Empire of Faith" provided me with great insight into the faith of Islam. It was filmed and photographed beautifully, complementing the subject matter perfectly. The documentary depicted how the strength of the faith- a worldwide power grounded in spirituality, brought an empire together and united many people across three continents. This provided a secular perspective rather than solely a religious one, so it was interesting to learn about the religion in this context. It goes from the genesis of the religion, to the Crusades, and finally to the prosperous years under the reign of Suleiman the Great. Although the movie didn't exactly touch on contemporary issues of Islam (It stopped in the 16th century), I think it is an eye-opening documentary for those who don't know much about the religion, or who have been influenced only by western propaganda and news of Islamic terrorism. Another thing I found particularly interesting is how so many tribes within the peninsula that were previously isolated united under the banner of Islam, launching a huge, powerful, community tied solely in faith. This was due to the fact that Muhammad brought a sense of solidarity and a sense of mission that united all these different people. I think that this really shows the power that religion has on uniting people together, and reiterates the point that collective human power reigns over all. However, there was another thing that I felt that was missing from the documentary besides a contemporary view of the religion. I feel like the documentary was a little biased, or at least cherry-picking of it's information and pictures. It didn't really discuss the sometimes violent, gruesome aspects of conquest. Overall, I really enjoyed this informative documentary, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about Islam in a historical context- to learn more about how it developed to be one of the biggest religions in the world today. In fact, I think it is especially great for those who don't know very much about the religion in the first place.

hithere30052 I loved every bit of this documentary, I was really eager to know the genesis and the expansion of Islam. I would recommend this movie/documentary for anyone who wants to have an insight on Islam. And i would also recommend it seeing on a big screen TV. Also the narration by Ben Kingsley is phenomenal.Not many people know that Kingsley is a Muslim ( born to an Indian Muslim Father and British Mom).In this present era, with everything thats been said on TV, this is a great eye-opener for the most beautiful religion of the world. For anyone and everyone to know the history and the truth , i highly recommend.

relayedby-imdb This is the first documentary that is fair to Islam and the Muslims. It is strongly recommended for anyone who lives in the West, particularly in the USA, and is skeptical of the propaganda that is constantly spread by the current U.S. administration and certain special-interest think tanks and groups.If you are curious about Islam, and one of those who listen with a critical ear, this is a movie for you to watch. It is a first rate production that describes the faith accurately and recounts history as it was. It is also well crafted, with a beautiful cinematography, an excellent narration and a stunning display of art and architecture. Yes, it is missing a few things, but I don't believe anyone could have done a better job in trying to recount 1400 years of history in two hours.

wfowens The photography is so good. It's too bad they didn't hire a historian to put the development of the progress of Islam in a more understanding theme. It jumps around so much that it distracts from the presentation. Nonetheless, it is a documentary one would want to see more than once.