What are the beliefs of the Baha'is, and how do they differ from Muslims?

Bábism and Baha'ism are movements that emerged from the Shaykhi Shiite sect in 1260 AH with the aim of corrupting Islamic doctrine and dismantling Muslim unity, supported by Russian and British colonialism and global Jewry. Bábism was founded by Mirza Ali Muhammad Reza Shirazi, who claimed prophethood and divinity, and was later killed. Baha'ism was succeeded by Hussein Baha after a conflict with his brother Yahya.

Among the most prominent Baha'i beliefs are: faith in the incarnation of God in His creation, transmigration of souls, the validity of all religions and the necessity of their unification, their belief that the "Kitáb-i-Aqdas" abrogates all divine books, and the prophethood of Buddha and other Eastern sages. They also deny the miracles of the prophets, angels, jinn, paradise, and hell, forbid the hijab (definition), permit temporary marriage (mut'ah), and consider the Báb's religion to have abrogated the Islamic Sharia (definition). Their Qibla (definition) is "Bahjí" in Acre instead of the Sacred Mosque, they pray three times a day, they sanctify the number nineteen, forbid jihad, deny the finality of Muhammad's prophethood, and invalidate the pilgrimage to Mecca.

These movements have been associated with colonialism, Judaism, and Christianity, as Russian spies supported Shirazi, Baha' received Russian protection after an assassination attempt on the Shah of Iran, and enjoyed Jewish patronage in Acre, and they have representatives in the United Nations.

The vast majority of Baha'is are in Iran, and they have a presence in several other countries. Muslim scholars, such as Sheikh of Al-Azhar Salim al-Bishri and the Islamic Research Academy, have issued fatwas declaring them disbelievers and apostates from Islam, affirming that they are a misguided sect outside of Islam working to serve Zionism and colonialism, and aiming to strike Islam and destabilize religious and political stability in Islamic societies.