Forbidance of Anger

The Forbiddance of Anger
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.’”
Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim
The Significance of this Hadith

Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam knew that if a person
controlled his anger he would be able to control everything else. That is why
the Prophet mentioned in another hadith:
"The powerful man is not the one who can wrestle, but the powerful man is
the one who can control himself at the time of anger."
Thus, Controlling anger can be an indicator of the strength of one’s

personality.
Background on the Hadith
This man recognized not only that the Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi
Wassalam was the messenger of Allah, but that he was the best person to
seek advice from. This shows you that the people used to come to the
Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam whenever they needed
advice, even in personal issues. This time the Prophet’s advice to this man
was, “Don’t get angry.”
Some scholars say that the Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam
knew that this man specifically had a problem in controlling anger, hence this
advice. However, this view may lead to narrowing the benefit of the hadith to
just one individual. Because almost everyone struggles with anger at some
time or another in their lives, this comprehensive and far-reaching advice
should be applied to everyone.
Anger in the Quran and Hadith
Allah mentions as one of the qualities of the Muttaqeen, the God-conscious,

that they control their anger:
“Those who spend (in Allah’s cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who
repress their anger, and who pardon men, verily, Allah loves the al-Muhsinun
(the good-doers).” (3:134)
“Don’t become angry” doesn’t mean that it is impermissible to have any sort of
anger, because that would be outside human ability. There is a rule in Usul al-
fiqh which states that it is not permissible for someone to be held accountable
for that which he can’t control. Anger is part of human nature. The real
question is:
-what is the permissible level of anger?
-How can we handle that anger when we do become angry?
When the Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam insisted on not

getting angry, he implied that controlling one’s anger is a comprehensive act.
Anger opens the door to all bad qualities and staying away from it opens the
door to all good qualities. One of the Prophet’s companions said, “Anger is the
key to all evil.”
Anger Management Based on the Sunnah
There are different strategies for handling anger, depending on the person
and situation. If a person gets angry, then he or she should exercise
muhasabah (holding the self accountable) for the mistakes committed, what
led to them, and how to overcome them in the future.
Examining the self and holding ourselves accountable is important training

and a source of discipline and self-improvement. In various hadiths, the
Prophet (sas) teaches us methods to help with anger:
• Seeking refuge in Allah: Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi

Wassalam 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." When we seek refuge in Allah, we
should say the words with understanding and reflection, not simply
recite the words.
• Changing your posture: The Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi
Wassalam of Allah said, "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."
• Keeping quiet: Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam said, “If
one of you becomes angry then he should stay silent.” This is an
important practice because when we are angry our actions and speech
may be disproportionate and unjust.
• Wudu can also be a shield against anger. Prophet Muhammad
Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam said, “Anger comes from the devil, the devil
was created from fire, and fire is extinguished only with water. So when
one of you becomes angry, he should make wudu.”
Praiseworthy Anger
Sometimes anger can be good. The Prophet never got angry except when
the commandments of Allah were violated. However, if we do feel anger for
the sake of Allah, we should make sure that we are not actually getting angry
for our own ego or interests. We should express the anger in the right way;
just because the anger is for the right cause does not give anyone license to
behave badly. There should also be some benefit in the anger. If expressing
the anger leads to more harm than benefit, then it should be avoided based
on the principle of weighing benefit and harm. For example, when giving
advice: say it in a good way, use good words and the best manners, and be
careful not to escalate into a quarrel.
Harmful Effects of Getting Angry

There are many harmful effects of getting angry. These effects can harm us
physically, psychologically, socially or emotionally. It is well known today that
anger causes many health problems and can be a symptom or cause of
mental illness, especially if not controlled. There are wisdoms behind shariah
injunctions, and improving overall well being is one of the many benefits of
controlling anger.
- The above text is the English translation of Ibn Daqiq Al-Id's commentary on
The Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi.
Delivered by:
Dr. Mohammad Hilmy Baihaqy bin Hj Awg Yussof
Faculty of Education, KUPU SB
Date: 19th Safar 1440 H Corresponds to 30th October 2018 @ Ta’alim Hall,
KUPU SB.

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The Forbiddance of Anger

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

Narrated by Bukhari & Muslim

The Significance of this Hadith

Thus, Controlling anger can be an indicator of the strength of one’s

Background on the Hadith

Anger in the Quran and Hadith

Allah mentions as one of the qualities of the Muttaqeen, the God-conscious,

-what is the permissible level of anger?

-How can we handle that anger when we do become angry?

When the Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi Wassalam insisted on not

Anger Management Based on the Sunnah

Examining the self and holding ourselves accountable is important training

• Seeking refuge in Allah: Prophet Muhammad Shalallah ‘alaihi

Harmful Effects of Getting Angry

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