A TEST
All spiritual sages, prophets, and seers say that this life is a test
- a test to see which souls will come to believe in the one
God and do good, and which souls will deny God and do evil things.
Given that - for there to be a test there must be both good and bad,
forgiveness and punishment, life and death, and the free will to make choices.
OUR CHOICE
God does what He wills ... we will never understand the nature
of his test (like kids dying from cancer). But we are challenged
to deal with the vicissitudes in this life with reverence, love, mercy,
forgiveness, prayer, and good deeds.
It is interesting to point out that the Quran says that anyone under
the age of forty who dies automatically goes to heaven.
So perhaps those children who die early are spared the test and
they are the winners.
Anyway ... that's what I say to the question as to why God allows suffering.
BTW, as we learn in the many twelve step programs ,
pretty much all suffering is self-induced.
FROM THE QURAN
“Whatever good befalls you is from Allah and whatever
evil befalls you is from yourself. We have sent you
˹O Prophet˺ as a messenger to ˹all˺ people.
And Allah is sufficient as a Witness.”
Say, "Our god: possessor of all sovereignty. You grant
sovereignty to whomever You choose, You remove sovereignty
from whomever You choose. You grant dignity to whomever
You choose, and commit to humiliation whomever You choose.
In Your hand are all provisions. You are Omnipotent."
"You merge the night into the day, and merge the day into
the night. You produce the living from the dead, and produce
the dead from the living, and You provide for whomever
You choose, without limits."
“It is God who has given you shade from what He has created,
and places of shelter in the mountains; garments to protect
you from the heat, and garments to protect you in your wars.
In this way He perfects His blessings on you, so that you
may devote yourselves to Him.”