The Prophet (P.B.U.H) Answered Each Time, “Do Not Get Angry”

Mannerism is greatly emphasized in the religion of Islam. The Messenger (PBUH) of Allah acted as a great example in dealing with others, keeping smiling face and having great temperament even in times of unlikeable occasions.

On the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him): “A man said to the Prophet, ‘Give me advice,’ The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, ‘Do not get angry.’ The man asked repeatedly and the Prophet answered each time, ‘Do not get angry.’” (Bukhari and Muslim)

The value of avoiding a feeling resentment in one`s routine is evident from the above mentioned Hadith, in which Rasulullah (PBUH) repeatedly gave a man same advice, i.e. not to be angry in any case. The modern emotional researches have also proved annoyance as detrimental. Dr. Robert Allan, a noted clinical psychologist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in his book, “Getting Control of Your Anger: A Clinically Proven, Three-Step Plan for Getting to the Root of the Problem and Resolving It” (McGraw-Hill, 2006) has stated,

“For most people and in most circumstances, directly expressed anger will only make a bad situation worse.”

The action of holding oneself back harsh moments cools down things and results in making the meaningful decisions. While on the other hand, anger affects the brain negatively resulting in taking insignificant choices.

So, the contemporary knowledge about human psychology also proves the idea about anger which the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has quoted 1400 years ago. He (PBUH) even negated the definition of being strong by disassociating it with physical power and associating it with managing one`s rage mindfully.

The strong man is not the one who can overpower others (in wrestling); rather, the strong man is the one who controls himself when he gets angry.” (Ahmad)

Here, the Messenger (PBUH) of God has conveyed a great thought about anger management and has linked it to being superior to others in terms of strength.

Discussed below are some of the prominent ways of controlling this forbidden act in the light of Islamic teachings:

1 – Abu Dharr (R.A) narrated the Holy Prophet (PBUH) saying as:

The Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) said to us: When one of you becomes angry while standing, he should sit down. If the anger leaves him, well and good; otherwise he should lie down. (Abu Dawood) .

So, to calm oneself down, one should act on the above stated Hadith of Rasulullah (PBUH) by first sitting down, if standing, and lying down if already sitting. As, in these positions, one is normally less offensive physically to others and can cause lesser harm to others than standing.

2 – The Holy Prophet (PBUH) is reported to have said:

“I know a word, the saying of which will cause him to relax, if he does say it. If he says: ‘I seek Refuge with Allah from Satan’ then all his anger will go away.” (Al-Bukhari)

Another way to be in command of one`s conscious is by praying to God for granting His protection against the Lucifer. As anger is against the true nature of goodness, and is linked to Satanic actions, so one should realize its harmful implications on one`s personality, that`s why Rasulullah (PBUH) has linked the Almighty`s asylum from Shaytaan as the way to avoid the sentiment of fury.

3 – The Messenger (PBUH) of Allah said:

“If any of you becomes angry, let him keep silent.” (Ahmad).

As, most of the instigation of quarrels is started from one`s speech, so it is highly advised not to utter a word while being in furious state, so that one may not speak bad words. It is also very possible that by remaining patient verbally for some time, one might review the actual incident with cool mind, and understands the root cause of the problem better.

4 – Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) stressed on staying in state of (wudu) ablution for getting rid of this destructive mood.

“Anger comes from the devil, the devil was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so, when one of you becomes angry, he should perform ablution.” (Abu Dawood)

Here, in this Hadith, getting annoyed is clearly referred to as the way of the Prince of Hell. So, a true believer should always try to avoid it through making and maintaining the condition of spiritual cleanliness, i.e. wudu, since it is the prerequisite to every religious action that is linked with getting purification and prayers.

5 – Learning The Holy Quran is a great source of getting wisdom, which not only includes information regarding sacred duties but also helps in solving many social and daily life issues. Allah Almighty says in the Sacred Scripture:

Who spend [in the cause of Allah] during ease and hardship and who restrain anger and who pardon the people – and Allah loves the doers of good [Quran, 3: 134]

It means that prevention of infuriation is considered as one of the primary deeds to perform by the Creator of the universe as it is mentioned along with expenditure in His way, forgiving others and in the end, it is regarded as one of the acts of goodness which lead to likeness of God, the Exalted.

The feeling of resentment itself is injurious to one`s own well being, and the latest studies have also linked it with many of the physical, psychological, mental, physiological, emotional and social harmful effects on person. It also causes health problems and mental illnesses. Anger in most cases is bad, but it is also helpful for the believers to dislike something contrary to Islamic convictions, but it should not be limited to one`s own self, rather it should be done for maintaining one`s own Islamic faith. However, it is imperative not to show one`s rage in any case, as it causes more damage than it ever benefits one.

Narrated ‘Abdur Rahman bin Abi Bakra: Abu Bakr wrote to his son who was in Sijistan: Do not judge between two persons when you are angry, for I heard the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam, saying:

“A judge should not judge between two persons while he is in an angry mood.” (Bukhari)

We should take a note from the above stated Hadith that if a judge in Islam, who is considered as the most respectable person, is prohibited to make any decision in irritation, then how a normal person can think of benefiting from it! So, we should avoid being annoyed in our affairs to avoid any trouble. May Allah SWT give us clear conscious and help us in avoiding the negative force of evil, i.e. Anger! Aameen!