How to treat anger

Repressing anger is from those good qualities that brings about worldly prosperity and prosperity of the other world. On the other hand, anger is a blameworthy quality that brings about wretchedness in this world and that of the other. Considering Quranic perspectives as well as other Islamic resources, specially Sahifeh Sajjadieh, in “ The land of lovers “ Professor Hossein Ansarian investigates the treatment of this bad habit. The text to be followed is a cut from the book. 

If a man inflicted with rage takes heed of the recommendation offered in the Holy Quran and in the narrations, he will be treated. One problem with the mental patients is that they hate submitting themselves to treatment. A man inflicted with the disease of anger should pay attention to those news offered to us in the narrations regarding rage. Such a man should know that an angry man is considered to be staying away from God's path; therefore, he could be considered as one of the Satan's troops.

It is narrated from the Prophet(s):

الغَضَبُ يُفْسِدُ الإيْمانَ كَما يُفْسِدُ الْخَلُّ الْعَسَلَ. [1]

“Rage and anger decay one's faith in the same way that vinegar destroys honey.”

It is narrated from Imam Ali(s), as well:

اَلْحِدَّةُ ضَرْبٌ مِنَ الْجُنُونِ، لأنَّ صاحِبَها يَنْدَمُ فَإنْ لَمْ يَنْدَمْ فَجُنُونُهُ مُسْتَحْكَمٌ. [2]

Anger is a kind of madness because as soon as this passion is over, one becomes repentant. However, if he did not get remorse, his madness would prevail.

Imam Baqir(s) has stated:

إنَّ هذا الْغَضَبَ جَمْرَةٌ مِنَ الْشَيْطانِ تُوقِدُ في قَلْبِ ابْنِ آدَمَ، وَإنَّ أحَدَكُمْ إذَا غَضِبَ احْمَرَّتْ عَيْناهُ وَانْتَفَخَتْ أوْداجُهُ وَدَخَلَ الشَّيْطانُ فيهِ. فَإذا خافَ أحَدُكُمْ ذلِكَ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ فَلْيَلْزَمِ الأرْضَ فَإنَّ رِجْزَ الْشَّيْطانِ لَيَذْهَبُ عَنْهُ عِنْدَ ذلِكَ. [3]

If fact, anger is nothing except for a lump of fire which is kindled in man's heart by Shaitan. It will make man's eyes become red and his veins get swollen. Under such conditions, his heart is the abode of Shaitan. When inflicted with this hazard, one should sit down. Then the satanic spirit would leave him.

Imam Sadiq(s) narrates from his honorable father Imam Baqir(s):

أيُّ شىءٍ أشَدُّ مِنَ الْغَضَبِ؟ إنَّ الرَّجُلَ يَغْضَبُ فَيَقْتُلُ النَّفْسَ الَّتي حَرَّمَ اللهُ، وَيَقْذِفُ الْمُحْصَنَةَ. [4]

What is harsher than rage? An angry man might get involved in homicide which is forbidden by God or might make a chaste woman involved in adultery.

When the issue of rage was brought up in the presence of Imam Baqir(s), he remarked:

إنَّ الرَّجلَ لَيَغْضَبُ فَما يَرْضَى أبَداً حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ النّارَ ... [5]

When a man becomes angry, he would continue with this state till he meets with hell.

It is narrated from Imam Sadiq(s):

اَلْغَضَبُ مِفْتاحُ كُلِّ شَرٍّ. [6]

“Rage and anger are the keys to all sorts of wickedness.”

This precious narration recorded by koleini in his honorable book called “Kafi” should be kept in our mind and should be used as a guideline and as a motto and should be use in signs installed at the mosques and offices. In this way many mental diseases might get healed.

It is narrated from the Prophet(s) of God:

ما غَضِبَ أحَدٌ إلاّ أشْقى عَلى جَهَنَّمَ. [7]

Any body who is carried away with rage is ready to enter the hell.

In a significant narration, we will read:

قالَ رَجُلٌ: يا رَسُولَ اللهِ، أيُّ شَىْءٍ أشَدُّ عَلَيَّ؟ قالَ: غَضَبُ اللهِ. قالَ: فَما يُبَعّدُني مِنْ غَضَبِ اللهِ؟ قالَ: لا تَغْضَبْ. [8]

A man asked the Prophet(s): what is considered the severest on me? The Prophet(s) answered: God's rage on you. The man asked once more: which program will keep me from God's rage? The Prophet answered; Do not get angry.

It is narrated from Imam Sadiq(s):

مَنْ كَفَّ غَضَبَهُ سَتَرَ اللهُ عَوْرَتَهُ.

Anybody's faults would remain hidden who does not let himself get involved in rage:

الْسَّفينَةٌ الَّتي وَقَعَتْ في اللًّجَجِ الْغامِرَةِ، وَاضْطَرَبَتْ بِالرِّياحِ الْعاصِفَةِ وَغَشِيَها الأمْواجُ الْهائِلَةُ أرْجى إلَى الْخَلاصِ مِنَ الْغَضْبانَ الْمُلْتَهِبِ.

Certain scholars have declared:

“There is more chance of relief for a ship which is surrounded with terrifying waves caused by horrible storms than for a person inflicted with rage whose veins are swollen with extra blood and has become blind to what is going on in his environment and is incapable of recognizing others.” A man told the Prophet(s): Order me to carry out an affair, but be succinct. The Prophet(s) replied: “Do not get nervous.” The man returned and repeated his previous question. The Prophet(s) once again replied: Do not be angry.[9]

قالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: قالَ النَّبِيُّ3: ما تَعُدُّونَ الصَّرَعَةَ فيكُمْ؟ قُلْنا: الَّذِي لا يَصْرَعُهُ الرِّجالُ. قالَ: لَيسَ ذلِكَ، وَلكِنَّ الّذي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ. [10]

Ibn-e Mas'ud says: The Prophet(s) once asked us: who is a hero in your views? We all answered: the hero is a wrestler who has never been defeated. The Prophet(s) then remarked this is not true. A hero is the one who controls himself at the time of anger.

Solomon, the Prophet, advised his son in the following way:

يا بُنَيَّ إيّاكَ وَكَثْرَةَ الْغَضَبِ فإنَّ كَثْرَةَ الْغَضَبِ يَسْتَخِفُّ فُؤادَ الرَّجُلِ الْحَلِيمُ. [11]

My son, avoid too much indulgence in anger because repeated instances of it depreciates the heart of a sober and patient man.

A narrator asked the Prophet(s) to guide him to do an act which will lead him to the paradise. The Prophet(s) stated: Do not get angry.

دُلَّني عَلَى عَمَلٍ يُدْخِلْنِي الْجَنَّةَ، قالَ: لا تَغْضَبْ. [12]

Imam Ali(s) has stated:

أعْظَمُ النّاسِ سُلْطاناً على نَفْسِهِ مَنْ قَمَعَ غَضَبَهُ وَأماتَ شَهْوَتَهُ. [13]

The strongest man is the one who defeats his anger and kills his unjustified lusts.

It is narrated from the Prophet(s)

مَنْ كَفَّ غَضَبَهُ عِنِ النّاسِ كَفَّ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَذابَ يَوْمِ الْقِيامَةِ. [14]

One who keeps away his anger from people is guarded by Allah against the chastisement of the Doom's Day.

الْغَضَبُ مَمْحَقَةٌ لِقَلْبِ الْحَكِيمِ. وَقالَ: مَنْ لَمْ يَمْلِكْ غَضَبَهُ لَمْ يَمْلِكْ عَقْلَهُ. [15]

Rage destroys the wise man's heart. Then he said: One who is unable to control his rage lacks wisdom.

Imam Sadiq(s) is reported to have said: One day a man came up to the Prophet(s), saying: O Prophet(s), please teach me something. The Prophet(s) said: God and do not get angry. That man returned to his tribe, which was involved in a conflict with a rival tribe, he took part in the fight, but suddenly he remembered what the Prophet(s) had told him: Do not get angry. He put down his weapons and went to meet with the rival tribe. Addressing them, he announced: O people, I will be responsible for all the injuries that you have been exposed to. I will pay all the required ransoms. But the leaders of the opposing tribe replied: we will not need your ransom-money. Then the Prophet(s) said: In this way these two tribes made peace and there was no room for anger any longer.[16]

Imam Baqir(s) is reported to have said:

مَكْتُوبٌ فِي الْتَوراةِ فيما ناجَى اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ بِهِ مُوسىA: يا مُوسى، أمْسِكُ غَضَبَكَ عَمَّنْ مَلَّكْتُكَ عَلَيْهِ أكُفَّ عَنَّكَ غَضَبِي.

In the Moses' invocation addressed to God we will read the following statement in Torah: O Moses: spare your anger against your inferiors, then I will do the same thing with you.  A wise man was once told: The so and so is in complete control of his anger. The wise man replied: then he is not made miserable by his lusts; neither is he dominated by his wishes and whims; nor is he defeated by anger. The wise men have said: there are four bases for blasphemy: rage, lusts, lying, and greed.[17] Some sages have said: the climax of stupidity is ill-temper and ill-temper is guided by anger. One who is content with ignorance does not feel the necessity for knowledge. Forbearance is an ornament and an asset. Ignorance is meanness. Silence is the best answer to an idiot's question”[18]

The restraint on anger:

In the preceding sections, we observed the Islamic views on anger and we saw some of the disadvantages of anger on human life. In this section we will concentrate on the views related to the suppression of anger. We should be aware that suppressing the anger is one of the significant characteristics of the Prophets, and Imams.

Imam Zainol Abedin(s) is reported to have said:

ما اُحِبُّ أنَّ لي بِذُلِّ نَفْسِي حُمْرَ النِّعَمِ، وَما تَجَرَّعْتُ جُرْعَةً اَحَبُّ إلَيَّ مِنْ جُرْعَةِ غَيْظٍ لا اُكافي بِها صاحِبَها. [19]

I would not like to receive red-haired camels at the expense of humiliating myself. This is because the believer's dignity is beyond anything else. To me nothing is greater than my suppressing the anger which was leveled at me by my adversary.

نِعْمَ الْجُرْعَةُ الْغَيْظُ لِمَنْ صَبَرَ عَلَيْها، فَإنَّ عَظِيمَ الأجْرِ لِمَنْ عَظِيم الْبَلاءِ، وَما أحَبَّ اللهُ قَوْماً إلاّ ابْتَلاهُم. [20]

What a great sensation a man is in when he resorts to patience and forbearance. This is because the endurance of a big calamity calls for a huge reward. God loves a people, who having been exposed to calamity, stand firm.

Imam Sadiq(s) is reported to have said:

ما مِنْ عَبْدٍ كَظَمَ غَيْظاً إلاّ زادَهُ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ عِزّاً فِي الدُّنْيا وَالآخِرَةِ وَقَدْ قالَ اللهُ عَزَّوَجَلَّ: “وَالْكَاظِمِينَ الْغَيْظَ وَالْعَافِينَ عَنْ النَّاسِ وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ” [21]وَأثابَهُ اللهُ مَكانَ غَيْظِهِ ذلِكَ.

God will advance the dignity of those believers who suppress their anger. And God has said in the Holy Quran: “and those who restrain their anger and pardon men; and Allah loves the doers of good to others,” [22] and God will bestow rewards upon them for the suppression of their rage.

The sixth Imam(s) is reported to have said:

مَنْ كَظَمَ غَيْظاً وَلَو شاءَ أنْ يُمْضِيَهُ أمْضاهُ، مَلأ اللهُ قَلْبَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيامَةِ رَضاهُ.

God will fill with joy the heart of anybody who suppresses his rage despite the fact that he could enforce it.

It is narrated from Imam Baqir(s):

مَنْ كَظَمَ غَيْظاً وَهُوَ يَقْدِرُ عَلى إمْضائِهِ حَشَا اللهُ قَلْبَهُ أمْناً وَاِيماناً يَوْمَ الْقِيامَةِ.

God will fill with tranquility and faith the heart of the one who restrains his rage despite the fact that he could use it improperly.

The Prophet(s) has stated:

مِنْ اَحَبِّ السَّبيلِ إلَى اللهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ جُرْعَتانِ: جُرْعَةُ غَيْظٍ تَرُدُّها بِحِلْمٍ، وَجُرْعَةُ مُصيبَةٍ تَرُدُّها بَصَبْرٍ. [23]

There are two approaches towards the Almighty God: One is the suppression of an anger and the other one includes those cases in which perseverance is used in the treatment of a calamity.