Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 727 [Read full issue]
Training Anger
A man asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, "Give me advice." The Prophet said, "Do not become angry." The man asked again, and the Prophet repeated his advice. For a third time, the man asked the question, and the Prophet said again, "Do not become angry." [Bukhari]
According to scholars like Imam al-Nawawi and others, when the Messenger of God said, "Do not become angry," he meant do not allow anger to lord over oneself and cause the loss of one's comportment. In other words, do not become anger, its embodiment, such that people only see your rage. Instead, control your anger and never lose control.
Anger is something that needs to be trained, not abolished, for if people completely suppressed their sense of anger, many of the injustices of the world would not have been opposed and tyranny would have gone unchecked. Without anger, people would go around with complete impunity and commit heinous acts without resistance from the people. Corruption would cover the face of the earth.
A person who has no feelings about oppression, wrongdoing and disbelief is, in fact, an impotent person emotionally. It has been said, "Evil flourishes when a few good people do not do anything to oppose it." Thus response to injustice and oppression in a civilized way is the appropriate expression of anger. Being neutral to injustice is equal to contributing to injustice.
Compiled From:
"Purification of The Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 102-103
"Anger and Dejection--An Islamic Perspective" - Shahid Athar