Bab al-Murad (TV series)

Bab al-Murad
Poster of the series "Bab al-Murad"
Directed by	Fahd Mīrī
Produced by	Kamāl Baḥrānī
Written by	Maḥmūd ʿAbd al-Karīm
Starring	Aḥmad Kāwarī
Music by	Sattar Oraki
Running time	28 episodes (45 minutes each)
Country	Kuwait
Language	Arabic

Bāb al-Murād (Arabic: باب المراد) is a historical and religious television series that narrates the life of the ninth Shi'a Imam, Imam al-Jawad (a), from his birth to his martyrdom. The story begins with the end of the era of the Imamate of Imam al-Rida (a) and the atmosphere of the court of Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun, proceeding along two main axes: the life of Imam al-Jawad (a) and the political developments of the Abbasid court. This series also covers events such as the uprisings attributed to the Imam's (a) relatives and the uprising of Bābak Khurramdīn.

This work is a joint production of Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, and Iran, produced in 2014 by the Kuwaiti company Model Art Production. It was directed by Fahd Mīrī (Syrian) and produced by Kamāl Baḥrānī (Bahraini). The series consists of 28 episodes, each 45 minutes long, and was filmed in Iranian locations.

Bab al-Murad was initially broadcast on Arab networks and, in 2022, after eight years, was aired on Iranian state television (IRIB) . Some critics have evaluated this series as a magnificent historical work, although others have criticized it for its slow rhythm and content deficiencies.

Part of the title track poem of the series
"Bāb al-Murād" in praise of Imam al-Jawad (a)

"O Jawād of the Successors, be generous to me,
Whoever comes to the Hashimite Gate of Wish (Bab al-Murad)
You are a light that overflowed from Tāhā (the Prophet), so you were
Nothing but like Tāhā in Prophetic nature...
In you, there is a resemblance to Moses and Jesus
And a boy in whom is the glad tiding of Zechariah
Are you not like Yahya (John), a sign
When he was given wisdom while yet a child...
The most generous of people in giving and hand
You, O one who has transcended above the Pleiades..."

Plot

The series "Bab al-Murad" revolves around the life of the ninth Shi'a Imam, Imam al-Jawad (a), and how he attained the position of Imamate. The series begins with the late period of Imam al-Rida (a)'s Imamate and the atmosphere of the court of Harun al-Rashid and al-Ma'mun and then primarily focuses on the life of Imam al-Jawad (a) from his birth in Medina to his Martyrdom at the hands of al-Mu'tasim.

With the death of Harun al-Rashid, a power struggle began between his sons al-Amin and al-Ma'mun. After his victory, al-Ma'mun forced Imam al-Rida (a) to accept the heir-apparency so as to consolidate his rule and brought him to Khurasan. After the martyrdom of Imam al-Rida (a), the Imamate was transferred to his young son, Imam al-Jawad (a). Despite his young age, by displaying divine knowledge and miracles, he completely dispelled doubts regarding his Imamate.

Al-Ma'mun brought the Imam (a) to Baghdad to bring him under control, and then married his daughter Umm al-Fadl to the Imam (a). However, these measures were ineffective, and after al-Ma'mun's death, the new caliph, al-Mu'tasim, with the cooperation of Umm al-Fadl and courtiers, martyred Imam al-Jawad (a).

Other characters in this series include Fadl b. Sahl, al-Ma'mun's Persian vizier; Muḥammad b. Ibrāhīm (Ibn Ṭabāṭabā), the leader of the Alawids in Medina; Ṭāhir Dhu l-Yamīnayn, the commander of al-Ma'mun's army; ʿImrān al-Ṣābī, the head of the Sabians in the debate with Imam al-Rida (a); Rajāʾ b. Ḍaḥḥāk from al-Ma'mun's army; Aḥmad b. Mūsā, the brother of Imam al-Rida (a); Zubayda, al-Amin's mother; Yaḥyā b. Aktham, a Sunni scholar in debate with Imam al-Jawad (a); Samāna, another wife of Imam al-Jawad (a) and mother of Imam al-Hadi (a); Ḥakīma, the aunt of Imam al-Jawad (a); and Jaʿfar b. al-Maʾmūn.

Production and Crew

The TV series "Bab al-Murad" was produced in 2014 by the Kuwaiti company Model Art Production (MAP) and is a joint product of six countries: Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Iraq, and Iran. The Kuwaiti company producing "Bab al-Murad" had previously produced the series "Imām al-Fuqahāʾ" about the life of Imam al-Sadiq (a). The broadcast of the previous series had been accompanied by controversy due to the manner in which the faces of the Imams (a) were depicted.

The crew included Fahd Mīrī (Syrian) as director, Kamāl Baḥrānī (Kuwaiti) as producer, and Maḥmūd ʿAbd al-Karīm (Syrian) as screenwriter. Actors included Mahmoud Rahmani, Mani Rahmani, Ahmad Kawari, Wael Ramadan, Jamal Hamdan, and Ali Al-Ibrahim.

The art direction and set design were handled by Majid Mirfakhraei from Iran, and the Iranian composer Sattar Oraki composed the music for the series. Mohammad Isfahani sang the title track with a poem by Fayṣal al-Duwaysān in Arabic. Voice actors included Manouchehr Esmaili, Hossein Erfani, Javad Pezeshkian, Mir Taher Mazloumi, and Siamak Atlasi.

It is stated that 120 main actors were used in the TV series "Bab al-Murad", and 3700 costumes were designed for the cast. The series was filmed in the Holy Defense Cinema City, Ghazali Cinema City, and Mokhtar Cinema City in Iran. It was recorded with two cameras, and due to the irreproducible nature of the battle scenes, five cameras were used over a period of four months. The series comprises of 28 episodes, each approximately 45 minutes long.

Scene of Imam al-Rida's (a) rain prayer alongside al-Ma'mun

Broadcast

The series "Bab al-Murad" was initially broadcast on Arab networks. In September 2022, eight years after its production, it was aired on IRIB Channel 1. The series was first shown during Ramadan on the Al-Iraqiya network and then aired on networks in Syria and Kuwait. Subsequently, al-Kawthar, al-Manar, and Al-Maaref networks also broadcast this series for Arabic-speaking audiences.

The Program Supply Unit of the Owj Arts and Media Organization re-dubbed the series in 2017 for broadcast on IRIB, applying changes such as editing and color correction.

Behind the scenes of filming the Ka'ba set

Supervision and Research

Extensive scientific supervision and research were employed in the production process of the TV series "Bab al-Murad". According to claims, 46 different sources were used in writing the screenplay. Additionally, content supervision and religious consultation for the project were undertaken by Ali Kourani and Shaykh Khaḍr, scholars from Lebanon.

Due to the heavy dialogue in the series, the responsibility of reviewing and verifying the texts was assigned to a specialized committee in Qom. This group's task was to ensure that all speeches and narrations presented in the series conformed to authentic documents and the dubbing phase began only after this process was completed.

According to one of the production staff, the Shi'a jurisprudential councils of Lebanon and Iran also supervised the screenplay and shots, studying all content carefully. Furthermore, out of respect for religious figures, the faces of the Imams were not shown directly; instead, luminous symbols were used to embody their presence.

Shot of the actor playing Imam al-Jawad (a) in childhood

Critique

Some critics view this series as a simple yet magnificent, grand work committed to historical narrative, avoiding conventional fictional characterizations and presenting an unadorned story. On the other hand, Ehsan Nazimbokaei, a journalist and screenwriter, as well as some websites, considered the filming of the series in Iran a reason for hope regarding Iran becoming a production hub for the Middle East, especially Arabic-speaking countries, and introducing its locations to the world.

In contrast, some sources, such as the website of the Imam Hussein (a) Mosque in Dubai, consider this TV series to be among the weak media works in the field of Ahl al-Bayt (a), believing it has numerous problems in form and content. Some dialogues were even evaluated as anti-Shi'a and contrary to the philosophy of Imamate. Rasa News Agency also listed the observance of red lines and not showing the faces of the Imams (a) as a strength, while citing the slow rhythm and focus on margins and past history as weaknesses of the series.