8th June 2023 – Zikr Majlis
- Advice – The harms of Anger
- Virtues of suppressing one’s anger
8th June 2023 – Zikr Majlis
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Anger is a deceptive tool of Shaytaan that only leads to more evil and destruction, ultimately resulting in the spoiling of a Believer’s Imaan …
Shaytaan snatches away the intelligence of a person when he does not control his anger. He thus, loses control of his mind, becomes abusive and perpetrates such crimes that he later terribly regrets.
Therefore, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam has said,
لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ، إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ
“The strong person is not the one who overpowers and brings his opponent to the ground; but the strong one is he who controls himself when he becomes angry.” [Sahih al-Bukhari]
Perhaps in the eyes of society a strong person is the one who is able to wrestle his opponent and pin him to the ground; but according to the Shari’ah, a strong person is that person who is able to control himself at the time of anger. He manages and controls his anger. He does not give vent to his anger by becoming verbally or physically abusive. He supresses and swallows his anger.
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam has mentioned :
مَا مِنْ جُرْعَةٍ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْ جُرْعَةِ غَيْظٍ كَظَمَهَا عَبْدٌ ابْتِغَاءَ وَجْهِ اللَّهِ
“There is no gulp that brings greater reward with Allah than a gulp of anger that a man swallows (suppresses), seeking thereby the Pleasure of Allah” [Sunan Ibn Majah]. . . .
Some Benefits of a Person who Controls and Suppresses his Anger :
• Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala will fill his heart with peace, tranquility, serenity and Imaan.
• Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala will remove ‘His’ anger away from this person on the day of Qiyamah.
• Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala will call him in front of the entire mankind on the day of Qiyamah and give him the choice of ‘Hoorul Een’ that he wishes to have.
• Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala will hold back His Punishment from him on the day of Qiyamah.
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1. Seeking refuge in Allah from the Shaytaan. One should read: A’oozu Billaahi Minashaytaanir Rajeem
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said,
إِنِّي لأَعْلَمُ كَلِمَةً لَوْ قَالَهَا لَذَهَبَ غَضَبُهُ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
Verily, I know a statement, that if he were to say it, his anger would leave: “I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the rejected” [Tirmidhi]
2. Remain Silent
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said,
وَإِذَا غَضِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَسْكُتْ.
“When one of you is angry, he should be silent.” [Al-Adab Al-Mufrad]
3. Make Whudu
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said,
إِنَّ الْغَضَبَ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ وَإِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ خُلِقَ مِنَ النَّارِ وَإِنَّمَا تُطْفَأُ النَّارُ بِالْمَاءِ فَإِذَا غَضِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ فَلْيَتَوَضَّأْ
“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.” [Sunan Abi Dawood]
4. Sit or Lie Down
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said:
إِذَا غَضِبَ أَحَدُكُمْ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ فَلْيَجْلِسْ فَإِنْ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ الْغَضَبُ وَإِلاَّ فَلْيَضْطَجِعْ
“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”. [Sunan Abi Dawood]
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We find that it is quite common that people say, I do not have complete control over myself, I lose my temper very quickly, I become angry very easily, I am unable to restrain myself, I get provoked very quickly, I blurt out things which I later regret. At times I become violent, I use my force against those with whom I am angry with. I just erupt. I become enraged and infuriated. I have no control over myself whatsoever. No control over my tongue, my mind. I lose my senses and many a times I have blurted out the word Talaaq to my wife in that state and condition.
The problem of anger is a common problem. Scholars have mentioned it is ‘from the promptings of shaytaan’. The insinuations of shaytaan. The provocations of shaytaan. He incites you. He spurs you on, to lose yourself … to give vent to your anger. A man becomes so infuriated, enraged, he has reached boiling point, like how we have a volcano that erupts and the magma erupts out. Or, we have a pressure cooker and if the heat is not lowered then we find that the lid will burst open and everything will spill and boil over. We do not realise how detrimental this weakness in man is. This illness which is a very common illness.
Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam advised a person who came to him and said : “Give me some advice”. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam perhaps knew the condition and the weakness of this particular Sahabi because of his interaction with the others. Or probably He was inspired at the time by Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala and He advised him with just one simple word, “Lā taghdab” (Don’t become angry). He asked again for another advice, “Ya Rasulullah~ Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam give me more advice”. Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam repeated the same advice, “Lā taghdab” (Don’t become angry). Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam repeated the same advice several times despite this Sahabi asking Him for something different (a new advice). Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam still advised him with the same advice : “Lā taghdab” (Don’t become angry).
In other words you must control yourself when you are prompted to give vent to your anger …
When a person loses himself, his heart rate goes faster, his blood pressure rises, he lose’s his senses, he lose’s his mind … Anger is directly related to shaytaan, the whisperings of shaytaan, the promptings of shaytaan, the incitement from shaytaan. So when man goes beyond the bounds, he exceeds the limits and he does not control and restrain himself, he does not contain himself, but he passes and exceeds the limits, then even his physical form, his facial expression changes. He looks very ugly indeed. We don’t see ourselves becoming angry, others see us. But if a person, when he is enraged, fuming and angry takes a mirror and looks at himself at that time. His face looks terrible …
Yes, man has this quality of becoming angry but this quality of anger has to be channelled in the right place at the right time with the right people. When you are opposing your nafs and desires, your ego’s and passions. That is the time when you should channel your anger, towards your nafs, towards the promptings of shaytaan. A strong person is that person who controls himself when he is angered. Now he is mindful, he is watchful, he thinks before he says or does anything. He has complete control over his anger. He subdues himself. Then he is regarded in Shariat to be a strong person.
The effects of anger is such … We have honey … and everybody says ‘it is as sweet as honey’. The sweetness of honey every one of us has tasted and experienced. But there is a plant known as the aloe plant … when this plant is dipped into honey, the bitterness of this plant spoils the sweetness of that honey entirely. The jar of absolutely sweet honey that you had disappears immediately when that aloe plant is mixed with that honey. That aloe plant is absolutely bitter. Rasulullah~ Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has given us this analogy, and He says that, ‘Anger spoils a persons Imaan’ just like how the aloe plant destroys the sweetness of that honey. Look at the effects of Anger!
Therefore Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam has said, ‘Anger is from shaytaan’. When one of you becomes angry, He says, ‘shaytaan has been created from fire and fire is extinguished by water.’ So when one of you becomes angry what is the Ilaaj (remedy)? He must make whudu and he must cool himself down. One Hadith says if the person is standing, he must sit down, if he is sitting he must lie down …
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~ Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala will remove ‘His’ anger away from this person on the day of Qiyamah.
~ Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala will fill his heart with peace, tranquility, serenity and Imaan.
~ Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’aala will call him in front of the entire mankind of the day of Qiyamah and Allah will give him the choice of Hoor-al-Ayn that he wishes in the hereafter.
Let us suppress and control ourselves….