Anger in Islam
Protect yourself from anger
Those who spend (freely) whether in prosperity or in adversity;
who restrain their anger and pardon men; And Allah loves those who do good.
(Noble Qur'an, 3:134)
Anger is a mental condition that provokes the excitement of man in
words and deeds. Because of the dangers and sins such like mocking, gibe,
obscenity, beating, killing, and the like evildoings - that are resulted from
anger, it has been considered as the door to every evil.
According to Ibn Maskawayh, Anger, in fact, is an inner psychic
movement due to which a state of agitation is produced in the heart's blood,
arousing a desire for vengeance. And when this agitation becomes more violent,
it intensifies the fire of anger.
A violent commotion in the blood seizes the heart, filling the
arteries and the brain with a flurry of dark smoke, on account of which the
mind and the intellect lose control and become powerless.
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) said: "Verily, anger is a spark
ignited by the Shaitan (Satan) in the human heart. Indeed, when anyone of you
gets angry, his eyes become red, the veins of his neck become swollen and
Shaitan (Satan) enters them. Therefore, whosoever among you is concerned about
himself on account of it, he should lie down for a while so that the filth of
Shaitan (Satan) may be removed from him at the time."
Anger is one of the conditions of the soul, and possesses three
states.
1. The state of excess, which is defined as what would put one
outside the bounds of religion and its laws.
2. The state of deficiency, which is defined as the state in which
one fails to take a violent action even though it is necessary for his self
defense.
3. The state of moderation, in which anger is stimulated in
appropriate and permissible circumstances. Thus it is clear that the first and
the second states are amongst the vices of the soul, while the third is amongst
ethical virtues produced by courage.
Excessive anger is a fatal disease, which can be considered as a
type of temporary madness. When it subsides, it is immediately followed by
remorse and repentance, which represent healthy responses of a rational person.
Amirul Muminin, Imam Ali (as) said: "Anger is a stroke of
madness, since the afflicted later feels remorse and regrets. If someone does
not feel any remorse after anger, it means that his madness has become
fixed."
Amirul Muminin, Imam Ali (as) said: "Protect yourself from
anger for its beginning is insanity and its end is remorse."
Moreover, absolute absence of anger is also a vice, which drags
man into humiliation, subjugation and inability to defend his rights. In order
to cure excessive anger, one must first remove its causes. These may be pride,
selfishness, stubbornness, greed and other such vices.
One must also consider how unseemly excessive anger is, and how
evil its consequences may be. Secondly, he must examine the benefits of
forbearance and self-restraint, and associate with people who possess these
qualities.
He must also realize that Allah's power is supreme, and everything
is under His command, which would make him realize his own weakness compared
with the infinite power of Allah. Thirdly, he should know that a person in a state
of anger is not loved by Allah; moreover, he may do something in anger, of
which he will be ashamed later on.
The opposite of anger is mildness and forbearance characteristics
which count amongst perfect qualities of the soul. They make a person forgiving
and merciful, although he may have complete power to take revenge.
Keep to forgiveness, and enjoin what is fair, and turn away from
the ignorant. (Noble Qur'an, 7:199)
And the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Forgiveness raises
a man's station; forgive so that Allah (SWT) may honour you."
Islamic Sayings on Anger (Ghadab), Prophetic Sayings on Anger,
Diseases of the Soul
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Anger corrupts faith
in the same way that vinegar destroys honey."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) narrated on the authority of his father Imam
Muhammad al-Baqir (as) that a Bedouin came to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw)
and said: "I live in the desert; hence, I want you to instruct me the
comprehensive of speech." The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "I
instruct you not to be angry." As the Bedouin repeated the same request
three times, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) repeated the answer three times.
The Bedouin commented: "I will not ask you for anything any more.
Certainly, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) has instructed me the best."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "Anger is the key (that opens the
door) to all kinds of vices."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "A Mu'min (believer) is the
person who when angered, his anger doesn't lead him away from that which is
true."
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) said: "A man often becomes so
angry that he is never pleased until this causes him to be in Hell."
The Attribute of Controlling Anger: Suppression of Anger, Diseases
of the Soul
The behaviour of a courageous person is based on wisdom and
serenity of soul. He gets angry on proper occasion and is patient and
restrained. His anger is to the proper extent and if he takes revenge, it is
with reason and discretion. He knows well as to whom he should forgive and what
to overlook and ignore.
The anger of a true believer is for the sake of Allah (SWT). In
the state of anger, he keeps in mind his duties, rights of creatures and never
oppresses anyone. He neither makes the use of indecent language nor acts indiscreetly.
All his acts are based on rational considerations and are in accordance with
the norms of justice and Divine laws. He always acts in a way that he will not
regret his actions later on.
Hence a true believer practices self-control and suppresses the
motives of ill-temper through taking enough time before saying or doing
anything.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "The best Jihad is
self-control."
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "He is not strong and
powerful, who throws people down, but he is strong who withholds himself from
anger."
The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Whoever suppresses his
anger, when he has in his power to show it, Allah (SWT) will give him a great
reward."
Amirul Muminin, Imam Ali (as) said: "The most powerful person
is the one who is victorious over his anger with his forbearance."
Amirul Muminin, Imam Ali (as) said: "When a person gets
angry, if he is standing, he should immediately lie down (sit down) on earth
for a while as this removes the filth of Shaitan (Satan) from him at that
time."
Amirul Muminin, Imam Ali (as) said: "Keep off anger because
it is one large army from the Shaitan's (Satan) armies."
Imam Jafar Sadiq (as) said: "One who refrains his anger
(towards someone), Allah (SWT) will cover his secrets."
Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (as) said: "Any one who suppresses his
anger, Allah (SWT) will add to his honour and authority in this world and the
world to come."
Anger Management in Islam: A Hole in the Fence, Anger (Ghadab),
Bad Temper, Human Vices
There once was a little boy who had a bad temper (anger). His
Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper
and get angry, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.
The first day the little boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.
Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of
nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.
Little boy discovered it was easier to hold his temper (anger)
than to drive those nails into the fence...
Finally the day came when the little boy did not lose his temper
(anger) at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the
little boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his
temper (anger). The day passed and the little boy was finally able to tell his
father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his little boy by the hand and led him to the
fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the
fence.
The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it
out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still
there."
Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) mentions the tongue before the
hand. As everybody knows, the 'wounds' caused by the tongue are deeper and more
hurtful than those caused by the hand. Besides, one is often prepared to strike
more readily, easily and more frequently with one's tongue than with the hand.
Slandering, backbiting, reproaching and other similar ways of hurting people
are commoner and more difficult to avoid than hurt done by the hand. Further,
if a person can refrain from hurting with the tongue, he can more easily
refrain from the assaults by the hand. Again, defending oneself against
physical assaults is, in most cases, easier than against verbal assaults of, in
particular, backbiting and slandering. So, a true Muslim always restrains his
tongue as well as his hand from hurting others.
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