reading time ~4 mins

A short comparison between Islam and Buddhism

	Buddhism	Islam
Authenticity	There is no preserved text from Buddhism.  We cannot verify their authors or the authenticity of their books	The Quran is preserved (Quran) (Quran 15:9) (How the Quran was preserved) The Sunnah is preserved (Sunnah) (Hadith Science)
Basic Questions	Does not answer some basic fundamental questions  – how did the universe come into being – why are we born – what happens after we die	Islam has rational and easy to understand answers for questions such as – How the universe came into being – Why are we born – What is the purpose of life – What happens after we die
Pleasure / Suffering	There is too much focus on suffering in the worldly sense and no emphasis on the afterlife	Islam gives a balanced view of pleasure & suffering in worldly life. We do not seek suffering, but we accept it when it comes as God’s will Suffering in this world is compensated in the after life
Practicality	The ideology of peace and turning the other cheek is incomplete and impractical Humans must ultimately deal with aggression and conflict, turning the other cheek is not something that is practical and useful Leaders of all countries or nations must take actions to uphold justice, prioritise security and defend the honour and lives of their people. There are no practical guidelines or examples offered by Buddhism to deal with politics, economics, military, governance and societal roles and responsibilities. They must adopt from other ideologies and create a mish mash of Buddhism and Capitalist/Communist concepts which often contradict one another See how the USA operates, or how China operates today	Islam provides guidelines on how to manage individuals and societies with clear laws and order Not only does it have roles and responsibilities of individuals, it also has them for governments, military organisations, etc.  The Prophet ﷺ has not only given theory, but also given practical examples of all aspects of life. Some examples below – How to perform prayers and other rituals – How to be a parent, cousin, husband, friend, etc.  – How to deal with neighbours, guests, visitors, etc – How to speak, give advice, eat, sleep, wash yourself, etc – How to do trade & contracts – How to run a government – How to be a Judge – How to be a military leader – How to deal with criminals, rebels, sinners, etc. – How to deal with verbal or physical attacks and much more It is a complete system prescribed by Allah which covers all aspects for humanity to live a fulfilling life

The ideology and principles of Islam are sound and universally applicable across space and time

Note: Islam cannot be judged by how the Muslim world looks today, because of a strong history of colonisation in the past few centuries. Most Muslim countries are still suffering from the effects of brutal wars and subjugation at the hand of European invaders. Some invasions are very recent such as Libya, Iraq, Syra, while others are still ongoing such as Palestine, Sudan, etc.