PERSONAL VIEW —- Islam is bigger than Muhammad or Muslims and includes true Jews, true Christians and true Baha’is. The Qur’an says Islam existed before Muhammad because there were true believers (in one God) amongst all peoples and all Arabs, including Jews and Christians. So Islam is the Religion of God which is essentially defined as monotheism.
Islam is not dependent on Muhammad in the way that an individual Muslim is dependent on Muhammad. The Muslim affirmation of belief is that there is no God but God and Muhammad is His Prophet.
Muslims believe the Qur’an (and Islam) existed before Muhammad who simply gave voice to it. This is why Muslims believe Muhammad is merely a man while Baha’is believe he is a Manifestation like Jesus. The Qur’an has the same theological importance in Islam as Jesus has in Christianity.
If Islam could exist before and independent of Muhammad, it’s logical toinfer Islam can exist after and independent of Muhammad.
If the Baha’i religion is the Religion of God (which Baha’u'llah asks everyone to decide for her/himself), then Baha’i is the continuity of Islam. Baha’i = the Religion of God = Islam.
Baha’is are not seeking a new or different God or a new or different Cause of God because the essential unity of all religions is such that each major world religion has been the expression of the Cause of God or Religion of God in its day. Each major world religion has been an expression of Islam in its day. God by any other name is still God
(Muslims don’t really believe this however as God is only named Allah because God speaks Arabic and the Qur’an in Arabic exists at the right hand of God).
So too the Religion of God by any other name is still Islam. If anyone seeks a religion other than Islam, this phrase probably refers to those who don’t recognize the true Religion of God but give allegiance to manmade beliefs, materialism, power, fame, fortune, et cetera
