TEHRAN – “The Lady of Heaven”, a film by the Enlightened Kingdom Company about Hazrat Fatima (SA) the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad (S), will be released in London today.

Directed by Eli King, the film features an Iraqi child in the midst of a war-torn country, where he learns the importance and power of patience. After losing his mother, the child finds himself in a new home, where a loving grandmother narrates the life story of Hazrat Fatima (SA) and how her suffering as the first victim of terrorism spun out of control into the 21st century.

The film centers on the crimes of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, in which the historical events related to Hazrat Fatima (SA) have also been depicted after 1400 years.

Sarah Trevis, Ray Fearon, Mark Anthony Brighton, Denise Black and Oscar Garland are among the main actors in the drama. 

In an article published by the Persian service of Mehr News Agency, the intention behind making the film has been questioned.

Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib has written the screenplay. He is a Kuwaiti Shia Muslim cleric, and the head of the London-based Khoddam Al-Mahdi Organization. Al-Habib attempts to express his religious views, and his investigations and conclusions concerning Islamic history based upon Shia and Sunni sources.

In September 2010, Al-Habib angered Sunni Muslims by calling Aisha “an enemy of God”, which led Kuwait to revoke his citizenship, accusing him of trying to stir up discord among Muslims. 

Later, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei helped calm tensions between Shia and Sunni Muslims by issuing a fatwa banning the making of any remarks insulting to the wives of prophets, including the Prophet Muhammad (S).

Nevertheless, Al-Habib has claimed that his film conveys a message of love and peace. 

“It is a call to a better mindset dealing with challenges. I am very proud of this very high-quality cinematic production, as well as the entire team whose highly skilled backgrounds and ideas have contributed to its making. Indeed, the love for this great lady and the belief in her noble message released them,” Al-Habib has said.

In contrast, Iranian clerics Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Ayatollah Hossein Nuri Hamedani and Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi Golpayegani have banned watching the film, believing that it will cause discord among Muslims, particularly between Shia and Sunni Muslims. 

Before “The Lady of Heaven”, the films about the history of Islam produced in the Islamic countries like Iran, Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq helped promote unity among different Islamic schools of theology, but this film whose writer is known for causing division and discord, will deviate Muslims from unity.

Undeniably, recent events in the Islamic countries have demonstrated that there is a dire need for increased unity among Muslims. 

Photo: This combination photo shows Sheikh Yasser Al-Habib (L) and a poster for “The Lady of Heaven”.

RM/MMS/YAW