ANGER IN CONTEXT

FATIMA KIFAYAT
Degeneracy begins with realities that anger us and the deliberate abuse of anger as an emotion. If for
instance, Babylon the great appears, the mother of all harlots and abominations on earth, how then can the
virtuous fail to be wrathful with her? All true religions allow for a measured, righteous anger against the
defiance of heavens and reign of hubris, both of which will intensify as the age wears on. Yet they must
warn against anger that is born out of a sense of persecution, desperation or a disguised rebellion against
Allah and His arrangement in history; all of which are common denominations in the current social and
political landscape. To render oneself immune against the signs of times, one needs to develop a sense of
endurance and self-discipline imbued with a certain knowledge that ‘verily with hardship comes ease’
(94:6), and that on the Final Day of Anger itself all wrongs will be rectified; all wounds will be healed.
To achieve a moral balance an alienation from the age must not be a separation from worldliness.
Otherwise our passivity will render us another victim of the times.

The distinction between righteous and demonic anger is an integral component of moral life. A believer
feels angry at wrongdoings but only for the sake of God and never for himself and the satisfaction of his
indignant nafs; this is an aspect of prophetic emulation. An individual living in accordance with the
Sunnah responds passionately to misery caused by human error and to error itself, but they must also
remain confident in God’s omnipotence and uninterested in the wrongs that bruise their ego. A separation
of right and wrong wrath is a consequence of faith itself.

A model representation of this balance is present in the life of the Blessed Prophet (SAW). As a witness
and sharer of the agony of his people and the suffering of the weak and orphaned victims of the rich and
powerful, he was most certainly capable of anger; contrary to the accounts of cold ‘heroism’ often
associated with men of faith where they are desensitize of the very human emotions of rage and sorrow.
The Seal of all Prophets consummates a long tradition of prophetic anger. ‘I am only a human being’ he
says ‘I am pleased as humans are; and grow angry as they do’ i. Anger is one of the characteristic
modalities of Prophethood. But his conformance with God ensured that forbearance, hilm was his primary
trait. Classical treatments of anger cite references to his righteous wrath but an overwhelming bulk of
hadith emphasize his patience and mercy which are undoubtedly more central to the Sunnah. This is
exactly why a large bulk of hadith on the subject denounce anger even if it is a sign of conformity to God.
When questioned upon how to confront anger the Prophet said ‘Abandon your own anger’ ii and once
again:

‘Anger is a red hot coal in the hearts of Adam’s children. How you not beheld his bloodshot eyes, and his
swollen jowls? Whoever detects any part of that should lie down on the ground.’ iii

This is not a blatant refusal of all anger. The prophetic counsel is not to become an impassive, stoic robot;
but rather to use the emotions as God wishes, instead of, as usually happens, in vengeful obedience to a
fearful self. Imam Al Nawawi commentating on the Prophetic commandment ‘Be not angry’ ( la
taghdab), explains that the meaning is ‘do not act in accordance with your anger. The prohibition does not
refer to anger itself for that is a part of human nature.’ iv Caught in the midst of valid anger one must
remain tied to the Law and maintain good akhlaq. Anger must remind us of the need to act, it must not be
a motivation or justification behind any righteous act. It must not contest with the Shariah, which alone
legislates and validates.

One can now see why the Quran praises those who ‘when angered are forgiving’ (42:37) and ‘those who
suppress their rage; and God loves the workers of good’ (2:134). The ‘workers of good’ are muhsinun, the

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people of spiritual excellence. Such people are the wali of God and they do not deny the relevance of
righteous anger, rather their wrath is that of God’s wrath.

In reference to God’s wrath it is useful to note that in comparison to the Biblical deity, the Quranic God is
not often angry. According to the figures proposed by Shaykh Hakim Murad, the Old Testament contains
400 explicit references to God’s wrath, with an additional thirty appearing in the New Testament. In
contrast the Quran uses a similar (cognate) word ghadab only eighteen times (fewer still if we overlook
rhetorical repetitions), against two hundred and thirty three references to mercy ( rahma). There is no
elaborate passage withholding God’s anger in comparison to the thirty five psalms consecrated on the
same subject. The Quran does contain stories of punishment but unlike the bible, they are not followed by
long reflections on divine wrath; instead they emerge as reminders of the consequences of defying the
merciful teachings of God’s messengers. Therefore, in Quranic terms the true wali, in the image of the
divine, is moved to acting with mercy and forbearance. If however, they are required to act out of divine
anger; the outcome is never excessive and reflective of the justice in divine nature.

The Angry, Al Ghadban, does not appear on any list of divine Names. Neither is it among the hundreds of
titles ascribed by tradition to the Blessed Prophet. The Prophet and his disciples in all ages share God’s
anger against the cruelty which manifests in the world, and against disobedience to His law. By this logic
human anger is either supposed to be theomorphic, in resonance with God’s judgment of human actions,
or it is demonic and fiery. As Ibrahim Haqqi, a renowned Sufi saint writes:

Choose you what the True God’s chosen

Know He’ll not do otherwise

Watch His acts until you know Him.

Let us see what God shall do

For what He does is good and true.

On the True God place reliance

Peace of mind lies in assent

With His acts be thou well-pleased

Let us see what God shall do

For what He does is good and true.

Question not: Why was this so?

Why was that not in its place?

Be patient and see its outcome!

Let us see what God shall do

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For what He does is good and true.v

A righteous person places their trust in God, what Mir Valiuddin calls a ‘retrocession of trust’. vi Anger is
only a sin when it is an implicit challenge to God and His decree. The attribution of real agency to
proximate causes is Shirk, the gravest of all sins, for it suggests the existence of a deity, other than the
true God, contributing to alterations in divine decree. In the monotheistic arena of Islam everything is
directly subject to His command, the Cause of all causes. So Tawwakul and the virtue of Tauhid make the
basis of Islamic ethics. The Prophets of the ages were consoled that they would be spared from
experiencing inner turmoil or agitation despite of the immensity of responsibilities laid on their shoulders.
Thus in submission or ‘infinite resignation’ as Kierkegaard put it, does man overcome the trivialities of
his ego and manifest God’s decree without resistance.

Hazrat Ayub perhaps best symbolizes the dichotomy between the two visions. Where the Bible’s Job
contends with God, wishing he had never been born, the Muslim account is that of a dignified surrender
and acceptance. He acknowledges his suffering, but as a saint he does not question God in direct
opposition. He called his Lord: “Truly distress has touched me; and You are the most merciful of those
that show mercy” (21:83). This submission, this Islam yields unimaginable fruits, for H.Ayub: the
miraculous ability to bring healing water from the earth, and a great following, the signs of divine
acceptance: ‘Truly we found him to be patient; how fine a slave, ever turning in penitence’ (38:44)

H. Ayub can complain to God, otherwise there would be no petitionary prayer and no sacred humanity,
but as a perfected sage he cannot question Him or be angry with His decree. His simple but subtle
language is a courteous supplication. And the Prophet, who combines real human distress with trust in
God, continues this prophetic theme. After being rejected and stoned by the people of Ta’if he offered his
heartfelt prayer:

“O God, unto Thee do I complain of my weakness, of my helplessness, and of

my lowliness before men. O Most Merciful of the Merciful, Thou art lord of the
weak. And Thou art my Lord. Into whose hands wilt Thou entrust me? Unto
some far-off stranger who will ill-treat me? Or unto a foe whom Thou hast
empowered against me? I care not, so long as Thou be not wroth with me. But
Thy favoring help – that were for me the broader way and the wider scope!” vii

Muhammad (SAW)’s tawwakul does not result in a recession in his humanity. He is not dispassionate or
cold. On the contrary his prayer is infinitely human. Suffering is real, it is boundless yet the cause of it is
not directly revealed to us; yet it is God’s will, thus a believer only prays for God’s rida- His good favor,
in times of calamity. Only under such conditions can our valid anger against oppressors be just and out
egoistical anger against Providence be annihilated.

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i
Muslim, Birr, 95

ii
Ali ibn Abu Bakr al-Haythami, Majma ‘al zawa id wa manba’ (Cairo 1352) VIII.69 (from the Musnad of Ibn Hanbal).
iii
Tirmidhi, Fitan, 26; Ibn Hanbal, Musnad, IV, 19
iv
Sharaf al Din al Nawawi Sharh al Arba’in
v
Erzurumlu Ibrahim Haqqi, Divan, ed. Numan Kuleci (Erzurum, 1997), 123
vi
Mir Validuddin, ‘The way to control anger- the Quranic approach’,(1972)
vii
Martin Lings, Muhammad: His life based on the earliest sources (1983)