
Ibn Qudamah رحمه الله writes in Minhaj Al-Qasidin:
Anger is a flame of fire, and when man is angry he has some relation to the accursed Satan who said, as mentioned in the Quran:
خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
You created me from fire, and him from clay.
[Surah Al-A’raf 7:12]
Anger is condemned because it produces malevolence (hiqd) and envy (hasad). Once a man said to the Prophet, “Advise me!” So the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لَا تَغْضَبْ
Do not get angry.
The man asked again and again, and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said each time:
لَا تَغْضَبْ
Do not get angry.
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 8, Book 73, Number 137]
It is also reported that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم said:
لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ
The strong person is not the wrestler, but the strong person is one who controls himself when angry.
[Sahih Muslim, Book 32, Number 6313]
In fact, anger is a feeling that drives man to take revenge on whoever has enraged him.
…
It has already been mentioned that the remedy of any defect mainly depends upon the elimination of its causes. Self-admiration, joking, argumentation, and betrayal are among the primary causes of anger. Undoubtedly, these are bad morals which the Sharia condemns, and in order to get rid of them, man should treat each of them with its opposite:
First, he should get himself well-acquainted with the virtues of forgiveness, forbearance, endurance, and restraining anger. Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas that a man asked for persmission to meet Umar and he was permitted. Then the man said to Umar, “O son of Al-Khattab! By Allah, you do not give us much not do you judge between us with justice.” Thereupon Umar became so angry that he was about to punish the man, but Al-Hurr ibn Qays said, “O Leader of the Believers, this man is ignorant and Allah the Glorified and Exalted said:
خُذِ الْعَفْوَ وَأْمُرْ بِالْعُرْفِ وَأَعْرِضْ عَنِ الْجَاهِلِينَ
Hold to forgiveness, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant.
[Surah Al-A’raf 7:199]
Umar complied with the instruction of the verse, as he always used to do with the Book of Allah. Al-Hur continued:
وَاللَّهِ مَا جَاوَزَهَا عُمَرُ حِينَ تَلَاهَا عَلَيْهِ وَكَانَ وَقَّافًا عِنْدَ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ
By Allah, Umar did not do anything after he heard this verse being recited. Indeed, he was one who adhered to the Book of Allah, the Exalted and Most Honored.
[Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 166]
Second, he should frighten himself with the punishment of Allah Almighty by saying to himself, “Allah’s might over me is much greater than my might over that person, so if I punish him now, I cannot be sure I will be safe from Allah’s punishment on the Day of Resurrection, and I am much more in need of His forgiveness than His punishment!”
Third, he should warn himself against the consequences of enmity, revenge, and happiness at the misfortune of his opponents, for he is not free from calamities that may afflict him at any time, just like them.
Fourth, the Muslim should meditate on how ugly his image seems when he is angry, and that he should not lead himself to such a terrible image.
Fifth, he should think over the cause that invited him to take revenge. For example, the cause of his anger may be because Satan says to him, “You should not stand still after hearing such humiliating words, otherwise you will become humble in the sight of people.” At that moment, he should say to himself, “Do you fear that you should become humble in the sight of people and do not fear being humble in the sight of Allah, the angels, and Prophets?” In this way, he may restrain his anger and escape the destructive traps of Satan.
Sixth, the Muslim should remember that his anger has been caused by something that happened according to Allah’s will and not his own will, so how can he comply with his own will and not the will of Allah Almighty?
This is how the Muslim should act when being inflicted with the flaw of anger, so that he may avoid its ruinous and menacing consequences.
(www.faithinallah.org / 10.03.2012)