Joseph Smith & Muhammad: A characterisitic comparison between the leaders of Mormonism and Islam by Eric Johnson (32 pages, 2009). Despite having lived more than a millennium apart, two charismatic religious leaders of two prominent relgions that were founded on opposite sides of the globe are revered by millions of people as authentic messengers of God. Muhammad, who founded Islam in Arabia during the early seventh century, and Joseph Smith, Jr. are obviously different in many aspects. However, when their lives are closely studies, a number of similarities can be seen.