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Umari Stambuli
Holy Qur’aan Speaks
(Continued from a fortnight ago)
Remedies of anger
ANGER is one of the evil whispers of the devil – Satan, which leads to so many evils and tragedies, the full extent of which can only be realised after the fit of rage or losing one’s temper. For this reason Islam has a great deal to say about this bad characteristic, and the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) painstakingly described cures for this “disease” and ways to limit its effects, among which are the following:
Seeking divine help
The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said: “If a man gets angry and says, ‘I seek refuge with The Almighty (Allah), from Satan the cursed one.’ his anger will go away.”
Seeking divine help in this manner can never to be underestimated. Satan constantly tries to way lay humankind, taking them away from the good qualities and characteristics and from their “humanity”.
Keeping silent
The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) advised one and all saying, “If anyone of you becomes angry, let him keep silent.”
This is because in most cases, the angry person loses self- control and could utter words of abuse, insult and hurt which could very easily destroy a great friendship, business partnership, his marriage, or even bring him the enmity and hatred of others.
Most probably, one will regret all the bad speech when the anger dies down. Therefore, if one were to keep silent, it would put an end to this evil. As the saying goes: “When angry, abstain!” Silence at the most crucial moment will help one maintain civility, preserve the power of unimpaired thought and retain the ability to issue valid judgements.
Using water to cool down
When a person gets angry, the temperature of the body rises. We often hear the statement from the person who had been in a temper “my blood was boiling!”
The Prophetic advice to the one who is aggravated by anger also includes the washing of the face with cool water. Amazingly, this has an almost immediate effect of cooling the blood or body down, allowing one to think more sensibly. Some scholars even suggest holding cool water in the mouth for a while – not only does this help one to remain silent, it also has the same cooling effect on the body.
Shift in position
The Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) said: “If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so his anger will go away; if it does not go away, let him lie down.”
Among the benefits of this is the fact that it prevents the angry person from going out of control, because he could strike out and injure someone, or even kill, or he could destroy possessions and so on. Shifting one’s physical position from the position one was in whilst in the state of anger to a lower position in essence helps to regulate the blood pressure, blood flow and circulation.
Self reflection
The angry person should think about himself during moments of anger. How often do we hear the description of a really angry person “he was raging like a bull?” If only the angry person could see himself in the mirror when he is angry, he would hate himself and the way he looks. If he could see the way he changes, and the way his body and limbs shake, how his eyes glare and how out of control and crazy his behaviour is, he would despise himself and be revolted by his own appearance. It is well-known that inner ugliness is even worse than outer ugliness!
Knowing the bad effects of anger
One must constantly reflect on the harms and negative effects of anger, which are many. In short, they cause damage to the angry person and others. The angry person may utter words of slander and obscenity and or attack others (physically) in an uncontrolled manner, wounding them, breaking bones or even killing someone.
If the one who caused the anger runs away, the angry person turns his anger in on himself, so he may tear his clothes, or strike his cheeks, or have a fit, or fall unconscious, or he may break dishes and plates, or break furniture, etc.
The damage to health that results from anger can only be described by doctors, such as thrombosis, high blood pressure, tachycardia (abnormally rapid heartbeat) and hyperventilation (rapid, shallow breathing), which can lead to fatal heart attacks, diabetes, and so forth.
In conclusion, it must be reiterated that anger is from the greatest of evils that afflicts an individual and that the one who controls himself in times of anger is the one who is deemed to be strong. How can it not be so, when he has been able to overcome his self and the devil? It was thus beautifully said: “Real strength and real tolerance are not known except at the hour of anger.”
For further information on Islam or a free copy of the Holy Qur’aan, please contact:
Majlisul Ulama Zimbabwe, Council of Islamic Scholars
Publications Department
P.O. Box W93, Waterfalls, Harare
Tel: 04-614078 / 614004, Fax : 04-614003
e-mail: [email protected]
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