On Thursday, 27 December 2007, Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi. This incident shocked the whole world and caused grief and anger not only to Bhutto’s family but to her supporters across the country. After the assassination, angry supporters set the main court, banks and other buildings on fire in the hometown of Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister while mobs torched several shops and violence and unrest broke out in several cities of the country. While Bhutto’s assassination was a tragic event that should be highly condemned, it is very unfortunate that her death sparked a wave of violence and uncontrolled anger in a country where the religion of Islam is predominant.

      This latest incident where we see violence carried out by Muslims out of hatred and anger is becoming very common in a number of countries. Fighting oppression and injustice is legitimate and not wrong in itself. On the contrary, it is morally wrong to be indifferent about oppression and wrongdoing. Being apathetic to injustice is tantamount to condoning it. It has been said that “evil flourishes when a few good people do not do anything to oppose it." It is therefore a Muslim’s right and duty to react to wrongdoing and fight against oppression and injustice. However, reacting to injustice and expressing anger in a rational and civilized way should be the appropriate response. Fighting oppression and injustice through killing and violence is unlawful because Islam is a religion which highly enjoins patience, tolerance and control of anger among its adherents. A true believer is one who does not let his anger prevail over him.

      Getting angry is normal and part of being human to enable us to react against anything that insults our self-esteem and beliefs and threatens our lives and properties. When Allah (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala [swt] – the Most Glorious and Most High) created man, He created many emotions and desires within each person, both positive and negative which are part of human instincts. These include physiological desires such as need for shelter, food, and clothing; good qualities such as kindness, generosity, capacity to love and be compassionate, as well as bad qualities such as jealousy, hatred and anger which if not properly controlled can lead to misery, bitterness, violence, unrest and all forms of evil. Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an:

      Man was created with the best and purest nature so he can fulfill his duty as Allah’s vicegerent on earth. With this important role, man was given an exalted position that is even higher than the angels. Unlike angels however, he was given the faculty of will and reason which if he uses wrongly could make him even lower than the beasts. Thus, while anger is natural, expressing it in a wrongful manner leads to serious problems. The difference between wild beasts and wild humans is the presence of free will in the latter. When an animal is angry, he does not think and acts based on his animal instincts. When a man is provoked and gets angry, he can choose to control his anger and respond to it based on the noble teachings of the Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam [saw] – peace and blessings be upon him) or succumb to his baser emotions and become a wild animal.

      In moments of weakness, man becomes vulnerable to the schemes of Satan who will attack him from his back and all his sides to divert him from God consciousness and awaken his animalistic nature. Satan’s promise to assault man is clearly stated in the following verses:

      Anger therefore takes place when man, through unexpected provocation or situation, loses control of himself and falls prey to Satan’s influence. Physiologically, his heart beat and blood pressure go up as a result of increased adrenalin in his system. His physical strength increases while his spiritual strength decreases. His intellect or power to reason disappears and he carries out things which in his normal state of mind would be unacceptable. Thus, at the height of his anger, he can physically or verbally abuse another person, commit murder, hurt or kill himself or carry out other forms of violence. In one recent traffic row for example, a lawyer, one who spent his life upholding the rules of law, shot and killed another person and his companion in a simple traffic argument that could have been easily resolved if the persons involved only had exercised patience, self-restraint and control of anger. The incident left two persons dead while the lawyer is now facing charges for homicide and murder that will affect his life forever.

      Allah (swt) therefore forbids the believers to follow Satan and take their anger to as far as it takes them to the point of committing harm to themselves or others. “O ye who believe! follow not satan’s footsteps: if any will follow the footsteps of satan, he will (but) command what is shameful and wrong: and were it not for the grace and mercy of Allah on you, not one of you would ever have been pure: but Allah doth purify whom He pleases: and Allah is One Who hears and knows (all things)." (Qur’an, 24:21)

      Rooting out anger is impossible. However, we should control this feeling and not allow it to lead us to commit wrongful and forbidden acts which we would regret afterwards. Defeating anger and expressing it in a rational and appropriate manner is possible through being conscious of Allah (swt) all the time and making His teachings and commandments as conveyed through the Holy Qur’an and the sayings of Prophet Muhammad (saw) rule our life. One of the means by which we could control our anger is by performing our worship (e.g., prayers, fasting) with sincerity and devotion to increase our God consciousness and drive out Satan’s evil suggestions in luring us to commit forbidden acts. Allah (swt) says: “Those who fear Allah, when a thought of evil from satan assaults them, bring Allah to remembrance when lo! They see (aright)”. (Qur’an, 7:201)

      Being God conscious all the time is the best way of controlling anger, hatred and other unconstructive feelings and for making our hearts at rest. “Those who believe, and whose heart finds satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without doubt in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find satisfaction.” (Quran, 13:28).

      In these trying times, Muslims must remember the life of Prophet Muhammad (saw) whose exercise of patience and control of anger should serve as the best example for all of us. When we look at his life, our own difficulties seem so insignificant in comparison. The Prophet (saw) spent and devoted more than a decade of his life spreading the word of Islam while suffering and enduring all forms of adversities and hardship. This was a man who had the burden of the whole of mankind's future on his shoulder. Yet he had the tolerance and self-discipline to be able to control his anger towards the unbelievers and to forgive his enemies.

      The Prophet (saw) always used to speak against being angry. The best example of this was when the Prophet (saw) went to a place called Ta'if. This was at the time when the followers of Islam were at their weakest and the Prophet (saw) himself had suffered the loss of both his wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib. He went to a town in the hope that they would listen to what he had to say. Instead he was insulted and chased out of the town by the children who threw stones at him till he bled. The Prophet was so depressed that he prayed to Allah (swt), Who then sent down an Angel to the mountains and asked for the Prophet's permission to fold the mountains together and crush to death all those that lived there. But the Prophet’s reply was: "No, I pray that Allah (swt) will bring from them people who will worship Allah (swt) alone, associating none with Him.” So even while feeling very angry and bitter, the Prophet (saw) was able to control his emotions and forgave his adversaries realizing that they were merely misguided.

      One companion asked the Prophet (saw), “Give me some advice by virtue of which I could hope for a good life in the hereafter”. The Prophet relied: "don't be angry." Another person asked, what will save me from the wrath of God, and the Prophet (saw) said, "Do not express your anger." A third person asked three times, “Oh Messenger of Allah, give me an order to do a short good deed, and the Prophet (saw) replied, "don't be angry." Once he asked his companions, "who among you do you consider a strong man?" They said the one who can defeat an enemy and wrestler in a fight. the Prophet (saw) said, “that is not so”. The strong one is the one who can control himself at the time of anger. The Prophet (saw) further said that anger is like fire which destroys man from within and can lead him to the fire of hell by expressing his anger unjustly.

      When Prophet Muhammad (saw) became angry at someone else's wrong actions or disbeliefs, he neither expressed it with his hand nor his tongue. His companions knew that he was angry by just looking at his face, which would turn red and with some sweat on his forehead, and he would keep quiet for a moment, trying to control himself. The Prophet also said:

      Another good example of the virtues of forgiveness, patience and control of anger was during the war fought by Caliph Ali. During the fight, Ali was able to overcome the Chief of his enemies who fell down on the ground and when Ali was about to kill him, the Chief, fallen to the ground had no choice so he spat on the face of Ali. Ali immediately got up and left him alone. The man came running to him and asked, "You had a chance to kill me since I am a polytheist; how come you did not use your sword?" Ali said, "I have no personal animosity towards you. I was fighting you on behalf of God because of your disbelief. If I had killed you after you spat on my face, then it would have become my personal revenge which I do not wish to take." After this incident, the Chief accepted Islam immediately and testified that 'There is no God but Allah (swt), and that Prophet Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah'. It was therefore Ali’s magnanimous act of forgiveness and rational expression of anger toward his opponent that gained his enemy’s respect of Islam.

      Prophet Muhammad (saw) had advised the believers that when angry, one should try to change his body position. If one is standing up, he should sit down. If one is sitting down, he should stand up. If this did not work, the person could wash his face with cold water or take a cold shower, do his ablutions and prepare for prayers.

      There are so many situations in our daily lives that could trigger anger. If we do not learn to control our emotions in minor matters, the more it would be difficult for us to control anger in more serious circumstances which could lead to conflicts between family and friends and in worst cases to violence and loss of many innocent lives including our own. Anger is one of Satan’s most powerful weapons which if left uncontrolled could be costly to one’s health, and to his life in this world and the hereafter.

      Let us react to wrongdoing, injustice and oppression not by committing another wrongdoing or injustice but through ways that are more positive, rational and praiseworthy. Anytime we are in the verge of anger, let us be conscious of Allah’s own Beneficence and Mercy, beseech His forgiveness and give Him praises so we could forgive others who wrong us. It is the acts of forgiveness, self-restraint and patience that will give us strength, peace and tranquility of heart.