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.’”
The Significance of this Hadith
Prophet Muhammad (sas) 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."
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
(sas) 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 (sas) 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 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 (sas) 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: The Prophet (sas)
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 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: The Prophet (sas) 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.
The Prophet (sas) 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.