Excessive anger or harshness which reaches dangerous levels is called tahawwur (boldness, foolhardiness). A person with tahawwur demonstrates attributes of harshness, wrath and roughness. Opposite of tahawwur is softness (hilm). A soft natured person will not become angry or excited when he encounters a situation which causes anger (ghadab). A cowardly person only harms himself. Conversely, an angry person harms himself as well as others. Wrath may even lead one into disbelief. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in a hadîth-i-sherîf: “Anger (Ghadab) blemishes one’s belief.” Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ was never seen to get angry for worldly affairs. He would only get angry for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ. A person in a state of anger may say or do something that causes disbelief. An angry person should think ahead that his opponent may react to his anger and do something in response. Anger causes a person’s heart to become unstable and this instability reflects on his face as an ugly and formidable appearance.
Overcoming or controlling anger is called “kâzm”. Successful “kâzm” is a very good and beneficial act and causes one to earn many rewards (thawâbs). Whoever overcomes wrath or anger will be rewarded with Paradise. Allâhu ta’âlâ loves a person very much if he controls his anger for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ and forgives his opponent and does not retaliate. The following hadîth-i-sherîfs inform us of this type of person, “If one overcomes his anger for the sake of Allâhu ta’âlâ, Allâhu ta’âlâ will also remove His punishment (’azâb) from him,” and “Allâhu ta’âlâ will love, protect and have mercy on a Muslim who possesses three qualities: one who gives thanks for given blessings; one who forgives an oppressor; one who overcomes his anger ‘ghadab’.” Giving thanks for a given blessing is to use the blessing according to the guidelines set by Islam. In the following hadîth-i-sherîfs Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ stated: “If a person who becomes very angry behaves softly although he has the power to do anything he wishes to, Allâhu ta’âlâ will fill his heart with a feeling of security and with îmân;” Imâm al‑Ghazâlî ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ’ said, “Having softness ‘hilm’ is more precious than overcoming anger ‘ghadab’.” A hadîth-i-sherîf points out the value of softness (hilm), “Oh my Allah! Give me knowledge ‘’ilm’, decorate me with softness ‘hilm’, bless me with piety ‘taqwâ’, and beautify me with good health ‘âfiyat’.” Îsâ (Jesus) ‘alaihis-salâm’ was passing by some Jews. They started to call him all kinds of dirty names. He talked back to them softly. When he was asked why he was so kind to them despite all the invectives they had been hurling at him, he replied, “One will give others whatever one possesses.” The general rule is that a person who does not bother anyone will feel comfortable and be merry and everyone will praise him.
A hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “Anger (ghadab) occurs due to the evil suggestions (waswasa) of the devil. The devil was created from fire. Fire is extinguished with water. Make ablution (wudu) for overcoming anger!” For this reason, an angry person should read “A’ûdhu basmala” and two “Qul a’ûdhu” An angry person’s intellect (’aql) will stop functioning and he will go beyond the limits set by Islam. An angry person should sit down if he is standing up. A hadîth-i-sherîf reads: “Whoever is overtaken by anger (ghadab) should sit down if he is standing up. If anger continues, he should lie down on one of his sides!” It is easy for a standing person to react for quick revenge. Sitting down lessens his anger. Lying down lessens his anger further. Anger is the result of conceit (kibr). Lying down decreases conceit. If a person cannot treat the person who caused the anger (ghadab) softly, he should part from him and should not see him any longer.
One should not get angry with others for worldly or religious affairs. The hadîth-i-sherîf titled, “Lâ taghdab” forbids anger. When a person gets angry all of his nerves become unstable and some parts of his body lose their physical fitness. Doctors cannot find a cure for that illness. The only cure for that illness is the above mentioned hadîth-i-sherîf “Lâ taghdab”. An angry person hurts people around him with his words and behavior. They also catch nervous illnesses. No peace and harmony will be found in their home. It may even result in separation or murder. If there is no one who gets angry in a home, there is happiness, comfort, peace and cheerfulness there. If there is a person who gets angry, there will not be any comfort, peace or cheerfulness there. There could always be some sort of disagreement or even animosity between the husband and wife or between the son and his mother. It must be understood from these that complying with the rules of Islamic Sharî’at will bring happiness, comfort, and cheerfulness. Even disbelievers who follow the rules of the Sharî’at will attain happiness in this world.
Ignorant and stupid people refer to anger (ghadab) and wrath (tahawwur) as bravery (shajâ’at), honor, manliness, and patriotism. They embellish and beautify the vice anger (ghadab) with these euphemistic words. They tell others that having anger is a good thing and try to support this view with stories relating how great personalities got angry. Their attitude reflects their ignorance and prove that their brains do not function properly. As a matter of fact, a sick person gets mad faster than a healthy person, women get angry more quickly than men, and ageing people are more prone to anger than youngsters.
Another cause of a person’s anger would be being misunderstood. A recommended way of avoiding misunderstanding is concise, clear-cut, and unambiguous language. Ambiguous language will annoy the listener. Three conditions should be observed while communicating the right word (amr al-ma’rûf). The first condition is a pure intention to communicate a commandment or prohibition of Allâhu ta’âlâ. Second, full mastery of the subject intended to be preached, including the sources and documents of the information presented. And third, patience with the consequent trouble. Soft language is a prerequisite, and harshness preclusive. Harsh, quarrelsome language will stir instigation (fitna).
When a poor person requests something from a rich person and his request is denied, that may cause anger (ghadab) in both of them.
Asking a question or saying something to a person who is busy or thinking or anxious or distressed may cause him to become angry. A crying baby or noise of children or animals may also cause anger in some people. Anger of this nature is extremely unpleasant. It is a meritorious act, a sort of religious ghayrat, to be angry with yourself on account of your poor acts of worship; it generates thawâb. Having anger toward the leaders of the government or toward Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ or toward Allâhu ta’âlâ because of their commandments and prohibitions, is the worst kind of anger. This type of anger causes disbelief. The hadîth-i-sherîf, “Anger (ghadab) blemishes one’s belief” shows that having anger toward Rasûlullah or Allâhu ta’âlâ causes disbelief.
The opposite of anger (ghadab) is softness (hilm). Softness is better than being able to overcome one’s anger. Softness means not to get angry at all. It is a sign of being very wise. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in the following hadîth-i-sherîfs: “Allâhu ta’âlâ loves those who act in softness in response to an incident which causes anger ‘ghadab’,” and “Allâhu ta’âlâ loves people who possess softness ‘hilm’, shame ‘hayâ’ and ‘iffat’. He dislikes those who speak dirty language ‘fuhsh’ and those beggars who solicit in a molesting manner.” “Iffat” means not to have an eye on others’ wealth. “Fuhsh” means dirty and ugly things. Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sal-lam’ states in the following hadîth-i-sherîfs: “The fire of Hell will not burn a person who lives compatibly with Islam and who is soft in nature,” and “Being soft brings blessings. Being slack or excessive in performing one’s duties or business causes a state of heedlessness ‘ghaflat’,” and “One who does not have softness ‘rifq’ is not a useful and beneficial person,” and “Softness ‘rifq’ embellishes or decorates a person and eliminates his deficiencies.”
Ref: This paragraphes are quoted from the book “Ethics of Islam” page 118, which is the translation of the book Berîka written by Abû Sa’îd Muhammad bin MustafâHâdimî ‘rahima hullâhu ta’âlâ’, who passed away in 1176 Hijrî, 1762 A.D. in Konya / Turkey and the book Akhlâq-i-Alâî written in Turkish by Alî bin Amrullah ‘rahimahullâhu ta’âlâ,’ who passed away in 979 Hijrî, 1572 A.D. in Edirne / Turkey. You can find the whole book and the other valuable books in the web site www.hakikatkitabevi.com.tr and download in PDF format for Adobe Acrobat Reader, EPUB format for iPhone-iPad-Mac devices and MOBI format for Amazon Kindle device.
