Ma`rifat Adyan

Suffering is a fundamental experience for humans, and its epistemology in different religions shapes the attitude towards it. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, examines the epistemology of suffering and its implications in Buddhism and Islam. The aim is to explain the sources, tools, criteria of truth and object of the knowledge of suffering in these two religions and their epistemological consequences. The findings show that in Buddhism, the knowledge of suffering is mainly based on experience, meditation and intuition, and the main goal is to get rid of suffering through understanding its pervasiveness in existence. The criterion of truth is individual experience and moral principles and has implications such as individualism and empiricism. In contrast, Islam uses various sources such as nature, reason, revelation and sense to understand suffering. Suffering in Islam is not necessarily evil, but can be a divine test and an opportunity for growth and approaching God. The criterion of truth is, depending on the type of suffering, direct knowledge, reason or revelation. This view requires God-centeredness and rationality, and makes suffering meaningful within the framework of divine wisdom. As a result, Buddhism, with its emphasis on experience, seeks to escape from suffering, while Islam, with its God-centered view and the use of multiple sources, considers suffering to be a meaningful part of the path of spiritual evolution.