Anger/ Wrath
Anger/ Wrath
- not to be confused with the divine wrath or
the wrath that Allah makes appear on the features of His Messenger as a sign of
disapproval of the actions of believers and also that of the unbelievers
- is a factor through which the Devil brings men to commit sins such as insult,
breaking relationships, physical aggression, or even to commit the irreparable,
i.e. murder. So we have to be able to control our anger so that we do not
commit such serious sins.
Forgive Those who Wrong You
Allah says about the “Muttaqi”, i.e.
those who repress their anger, in Chapter 3 (Al-Imran), Verse 135: “[...] those who restrain (their) anger and forgive the
people [...]”.
Therefore, the Muttaqi - those to whom
Allah will offer paradise - are those who control their anger, who despite
their strength and courage manage to forgive those who have wronged them.
To control our anger is to preserve Islam. The repressing
of our anger allows us to practice Islam in the best way. As long as a person
manages to control his anger, his faith will be preserved. However, if the
person gets carried away by anger, it will bring him nothing but regrets. “Why
did I say / do that?” he will ask himself.
The Holy Prophet's Precepts
It is reported by Abu Hurayrah (ra) that a man
had said to the prophet (pbuh): “Counsel me”. The prophet (pbuh)
replied, “Do not get angry.” He repeated (the question) several times,
and the prophet (pbuh) answered him: “Do not get angry.” (Bukhari)
“Strong”
people do not hit others. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “The strong man is
not the one who triumphs over the opponent in a fight/ battle, but is the one
who controls himself when he has a big anger.” (Bukhari)
The Messenger of Allah said, “Whosoever represses
his anger when he can give free rein to it, Allah will call him on the Day of
Resurrection before all creatures and invite him to choose one of the Houris
who shall please him.” (Abu Dawud).
It is important that when one is overcome by
anger, one does not allow injustice. Although we are angry, we must always be
righteous. Suppressing one's anger is considered a great action before Allah.
So Allah has set a great reward for this deed.
It is reported by Abu Darda (ra) that he asked
the Prophet (pbuh): “O Messenger of God, tell me an action that will bring
me into paradise.” He said, “Do not get angry and (in return) you shall obtain
Paradise.” (At-Tabarani).
How to control one's anger?
When an individual gets angry, he must restrain it by the following means:
1. Seek the protection of Allah against
the Devil by saying: “A'udhu billahi minash shaytwaanir rajiim”.
2.
Remain silent.
3.
If he is standing, he should
sit or lie down.
The prophet (pbuh) said that if an angry person
says, “I seek refuge with God against the Devil", his anger will
subside. (Bukhari, Muslim).
The prophet said: “When one of you gets
angry and is standing, he should sit down; if the anger does not leave him, let
him then lie down.” (Abu Dawud).
The prophet said, “When one of you gets
angry, keep quiet.” (Ahmad).
4.
Make ablution (Wudu) to
calm the anger.
Certainly there is Hadith that teaches us to do
ablution to calm our anger. The Hadith indicates that the Messenger of Allah
(pbuh) said that anger comes from the devil, and the devil was created from
fire, and the fire is extinguished by water; so when one of you gets angry then
let him do ablution. (Abu Dawud, Ahmad).
So, all these Hadiths I mentioned on the
subject of anger is very important because the Muslim is called to control his
anger in all circumstances. Sometimes, by weakness, someone may get angry, but
if he restrains himself in time and seeks refuge with Allah against Satan the accursed
one, then surely Allah will come to his aid.
Do Not Attract Divine Anger; Seek Forgiveness
Now when we talk about divine wrath, it is a
very exceptional subject. As we know, Allah - God the Almighty - is not
influenced in any way by the devil. On the contrary, it is the devil who is
afraid of Allah. Divine wrath is a mark of great punishment for the person who
attracts Allah's anger because that anger can ruin his life on this earth and
in the hereafter. The Devil himself is subject to divine wrath and will be
eternally punished in the fire of hell for his act of disobedience to God.
If at the time of a Messenger, Allah makes His
anger manifest through His chosen one as a threat of severe retribution to the
person concerned, then that person must immediately seek Allah's forgiveness
and reform, for divine wrath can indeed crush the ignorant (Jahil),
unfaithful (Kafir) or hypocritical person (Munafiq), and may also
be a strong and distinctive signal inviting or forcing a sincere believer to
conform to the divine precepts. If God is angry with that person, i.e. the
believer, it is to remove him from the wrong path and bring him to reform himself
in order to be able to taste His satisfaction and pleasure.
May Allah guide you all to control your anger
and save you from His anger and that of His chosen Messenger, and may you live
your life in accordance with Islam in all sincerity. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 12 January 2018 (24 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1439 AH) delivered by Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.