Islam and the Baha'i Faith are two independent religions. Islam emerged from the Arabian Peninsula during the seventh century and was founded by Muhammad. Both Muslims and Baha'is believe Muhammad to be a Messenger of God and the Quran to be the authenticated Word of God. The Quran refers to Prophets and Messengers throughout multiple passages. According to wikipedia:
Prophets in Islam are individuals to serve as examples of ideal human behavior and to spread God's message on Earth. Some prophets are categorized as messengers, those who transmit divine revelation, most of them through the interaction of an angel. Muslims believe that many prophets existed, including many not mentioned in the Quran. The Quran states: "There is a Messenger for every community". Belief in the Islamic prophets is one of the six articles of the Islamic faith.
Prophets and messengers in Islam - Wikipedia
There is much that could be said about the nature of Prophethood in Islam. It is a huge topic.
During the nineteenth century within Shi'a Islamic Persia (now Iran) the Baha'i Faith emerged. During a time of Messianic expectation in regards a redeemer of Islam known as the Mahdi, hundreds of thousands accepted the Bab as being this redeemer and followed His Cause. The conservative and fanatical government and clergy regarded this new movement with disdain and eventually thousands of the early Babis were put to death including the Bab Himself.
The Central Purpose of the Bab's message was to prepare His followers for One whose cause was even greater than His own. That Promised One was widely recognized as being Baha'u'llah by the vast majority of the Babis who became Baha'is. Baha'u'llah elaborated on the concept of Prophethood in one of His early and most important works, the Kitab-i-Iqan. There are many other works through Baha'u'llah's forty year mission between receiving His summons to His Divine Mission while imprisoned in the Siyah Chal, in Tehran 1852 (
The Message Baha’u’llah Received in the Black Pit) until His passing in a mansion in Bahji 1892. In His Will and Testament Baha'u'llah appointed His eldest Son, 'Abdu'l-Baha as successor and His elaborations on His Father's works are considered authoritative.
'Abdu'l-Baha elaborates on the concept of Prophets and Messengers of God as follows:
"The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits. All things must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the supreme moving impulse in the world of being."
"God sent all His Prophets into the world with one aim, to sow in the hearts of men love and goodwill, and for this great purpose, they were willing to suffer and to die. All the sacred Books were written to lead and direct man into the ways of love and unity; and yet, in spite of all this, we have the sad spectacle of war and bloodshed in our midst."
Manifestation of God (Baháʼí Faith) - Wikipedia
Of course there is much that could be said about the concept of Prophethood in the Baha'i Faith. Like Islam, it is a huge topic. However my question is a simple one. Is the concept of Prophethood in the Baha'i Faith compatible with that in Islam? Are the concepts of Prophethood within the two religions so fundamentally different as to irreconcilable?
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