Joseph Smith and Muhammad
The article below was taken from
http://www.bible.ca/islam/sermon-Who-was-Muhammad.htm
If theologians were to compare the rise of Islam to another world religion, they would chose Mormonism.
Both were visited by an angel. Joseph Smith was visited by the angel "Moroni" and Muhammad by Gabriel. Galatians 1:6-9 says, "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; 7 which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
Both were given visions.
Both were told that no true religion existed on the earth.
Both were to restore the long lost faith as the one true religion. Islam makes claim that Adam and Abraham were Muslims, a claim that is as ridiculous as it is undocumented from either history or archaeology. Mormons make the unsubstantiated claim that the church in the first century were Mormon.
Both wrote a book inspired by God.
Both claimed to be illiterate and used this fact as proof the book was inspired.
Both claimed the Bible, though originally inspired, was lost, altered, corrupted and unreliable.
Both claimed their holy book was the most correct and perfect book on earth.
Both highlighted what we would consider as good things.
Both claim that the version of books (Qur’an and Book of Mormon) we have in our hands today are identical to what the prophet revealed and that parts are not lost, altered and corrupted. Of course the proof that these claims are invalid is found in two books. The Mormon claim is proven false by a book called "3913 Changes to Book of Mormon" by Sandra Tanner. The Islamic claim is proven false by a book (In Arabic language) called, "Making Easy the Readings of What Has Been Sent Down" by Muhammad Fahd Khaaruun. Both books show that the copy of the book of Mormon and the Koran used today is different from what was originally used when each religion was started.
Both claimed to be a final prophet of God.
Both were polygamists who had many wives.
Both borrowed from paganism/polytheism. Muhammad incorporated that polytheistic moon god called "Allah" and "Allah's three daughters" into Islam. Basically Muhammad chose Allah from within 350 known gods that were worshipped in Arabia and proclaimed the moon god to be the greatest and only God. Smith borrowed from a doctrine called "pyramidology" and the Masons and other magic systems.
Both received "after the fact corrective revelations" from God. Muhammad at first prayed 5 times a day towards Jerusalem, like the Jews, but God corrected this, by having Muhammad start praying towards Mecca (He also retracted the Satanic verses). Although Smith claimed God told him Polygamy was OK, he later retracted the divine instruction just before the US government was about to clamp down. Likewise, although Muhammad revealed in the Koran that a man can have only 4 wives, he had many more than this, as a case of special exception.