Impact of Rage

Allah did not create anything in the universe without purpose or benefit. Similarly, human emotions (happiness, sadness, love, sincerity, rage) also have meaning and purpose. However, these can cause harm only if worldly love reaches an extreme.

The human mood constitutes emotions of happiness, sadness, love, sincerity and anger. A person in grief understands the reality of the world and turns completely towards Allah. Happiness brings contentment to a person and prompts him to be thankful for Allah’s blessings. Positive desires make a person strive to move forward on the path of Divine closeness. Similarly, anger is not meaningless or useless as it helps stay in Islam and fight the self to attain Divine closeness. It also creates love for spiritual guide in the heart.

Likewise, anger from parents to discipline their children is valid. Anger from the perfect spiritual guide to purify the seekers’ inward (temporary anger) is also valid. It is also acceptable for a teacher to be angry with his students while staying in limit with the purpose of teaching. Now the question arises, which is the state of anger that is strongly condemnable?

Stages of Anger

Imam Ghazali says:

There are three stages of anger in the human nature:

• First stage is the lack of anger: This means that the absence of anger in a person or it is weakend and it means lack of dignity and honor which is reprehensible. (Imam Ghazali wants to say that if someone becomes embarrassed but still did not get angry then he is a donkey)
• Second stage is moderate anger: this is the stage that Allah praised the Companions for having.

Allah says:

They are hard and tough against the disbelievers but kind-hearted and merciful amongst themselves. (48:29)

• Third stage is rage: At this stage the person exceeds his limit. Rage prevails over him so much that he disobeys religion. Therefore, the man seems as if his rage controls him and this is condemnable. His appearance changes and becomes ugly and his inward is even uglier. (Lubab al Ahya)

The Holy Prophet says:

• Surely, rage spoils faith just as aloe spoils honey. (Mishkat 5118)

According to the book “tanbihul ghafilin”, Wahb ibn Munabbih says:

• Once a wise man from bani Israel went somewhere. At one point on the way, suddenly a stone rock came near his head from above, he started invocation and it moved away. Then frightening lions and wolves came but the man did not panic and kept invocation. When he began to offer Salah, a snake came and wrapped around his feet. The snake moved around his body and got to his head. When the man would bow the snake would wrap around his mouth. And when he would prostrate the snake would open its mouth to bite him. But the man would move it and prostrate. When he completed his Salah, Satan appeared and said: “I was doing all of this. You are very brave and I am influenced by you. Therefore I have decided to never deceive you. Please be my friend.” The man replied: “I will never be a friend of you.” Satan said: “Really! Ask me about your family and what will happen to them after you.” He replied: “I do not need to ask you.” Satan said: “Then ask how I mislead people.” He said: “Yes tell me this.” Satan said: “I have three tricks (1) miserliness (2) rage (3) intoxication.”

Explanation of tricks

He said while explaining these tricks: When I use my trap of miserliness on someone, the person entangles himself in the trap of wealth. I keep making him think that he has very little wealth. He does not spend in religious obligations and tends towards other people’s wealth. Thus, he gets caught in the love of wealth and gets stuck in the quicksand of sins.

When I succeed in using rage on someone, I throw that angry person in the company of devils just as children throw and bounce a ball. No matter how great an angry person’s knowledge and practice may be, even if he can revive the dead with his prayers, I have hope that at some point he will become uncontrollable in rage and say a sentence that will ruin his hereafter.

And intoxication, I hold my victim (a drunkard) by the ears like a goat and lead him to whatever evil I want. (Gunahon ka ilaj)

Effects of Rage on the Human Body

Imam Ghazali says that the face turns ugly in anger. It is like a biting dog. Man falls from his grace and becomes a bloodthirsty beast, whereas those who control rage look similar to scholars, saints and righteous people. (Ihya ul Uloom)

Expressing vengeful feelings leads to anxiety and depression. According to medical experts, rage is the most dangerous emotion for our heart and mind. Being constantly angry or having sudden bursts of rage can have the following harmful effects on our body:

1. High blood flow in rage causes the heart to work extra hard to pump blood. This increases heart rate and blood pressure. Also hypertension can leads to death. Constant rage also affects the immune system due to which the body fails to prevent even a minor illness.
2. In a state of rage, the amount of hormones and cholesterol in the body increases, causing irreparable damage to the stomach.
3. Medical experts say that sometimes blood clots are present in blood, which can get stuck in any part of the body due to high blood pressure, which stops the flow of blood there and that part becomes paralyzed.
4. According to Dr. Redford B. Williams, a scientist at Duke University, USA, people with rage and hatred die quickly. According to him, rage causes the same damage to the human heart as smoking.
5. According to the American Heart Association, many people die prematurely simply because of the intensity of rage and resentment. Rage and resentment are one of the leading causes of heart attacks. (Gunahon ka ilaj)

A Story of Saadi Shirazi

Saadi Shirazi says that once an emotional person got into an argument and started talking nonsense. The other person got angry and beat him and tore his clothes. A wise person saw and said “if you acted wisely and controlled your tongue, this would not have happened. If you had kept your mouth shut like a bud and you would not have dispersed like the petals of a flower. Remember! Only an ignorant and nervous person suffers because of his boasting. Everyone knows that the tongue is like a raging fire and it burns. But a little water is enough to extinguish this fire.” (Hikayat e Saadi)

Allah says:

Those who control their rage just for the sake of Divine Will, will be given such peace of inward that their hearts will be illuminated by Divine light. So remember that controlling rage is the greatest virtue because it saves a person from most spiritual diseases (jealousy, hatred, malice, etc.). However, moderate anger is always present in and cannot be removed. Rather, this anger can be used for the right reasons like fighting the self, Satan and worldly love, for strengthening the religion and Divine closeness so that one can achieve success in his purpose of life in this world.

Invitation for the Muslim Ummah

 In the present day, the search and company of perfect spiritual guide is very important for the Holy Prophet’s Ummah. So they can get rid of inward and spiritual diseases, purify the soul and sanctify the heart. Because the perfect spiritual guide puts a seeker of world on the path of Allah by purifying him from spiritual diseases like anger, arrogance, hypocrisy, greed, etc. Spiritual training is needed for success in this world and hereafter and not politics. It is a special invitation to the Muslim Ummah to benefit from the enlightened and spiritual company of Sultan ul Ashiqeen, the spiritual leader of this time and humanity, the Light of Hoo. An invitation to get rid of rage and all other spiritual and inward diseases, and take part in the ascension of humanity, i.e. Divine closeness and Vision in the inward.

لکھ نگاہ جے عالم ویکھے، کِسے نہ کدھی چاہڑے ھُو

اِک نگاہ جے عاشق ویکھے، لَکھاں کروڑاں تارے ھُو

Explanation: If a scholar looks infinite times towards a seeker, he can neither purify his soul with his spiritual attention nor can bless him with gnosis. Contrarily a single glance of Divine love (perfect spiritual guide) blesses millions of seekers with the gnosis of Allah. (Sufism-the Soul of Islam)

Questions:

Q1. How does Satan deceive?

Answer: Satan said: “I have three tricks (1) miserliness (2) rage (3) intoxication.”

He said while explaining these tricks: When I use my trap of miserliness on someone, the person entangles himself in the trap of wealth. I keep making him think that he has very little wealth. He does not spend in religious obligations and tends towards other people’s wealth. Thus, he gets caught in the love of wealth and gets stuck in the quicksand of sins.

When I succeed in using rage on someone, I throw that angry person in the company of devils just as children throw and bounce a ball. No matter how great an angry person’s knowledge and practice may be, even if he can revive the dead with his prayers, I have hope that at some point he will become uncontrollable in rage and say a sentence that will ruin his hereafter.

And intoxication, I hold my victim (a drunkard) by the ears like a goat and lead him to whatever evil I want. (Gunahon ka ilaj)

Q2. What are effects of rage on the body?

Answer:

1. High blood flow in rage causes the heart to work extra hard to pump blood. This increases heart rate and blood pressure. Also hypertension can leads to death. Constant rage also affects the immune system due to which the body fails to prevent even a minor illness.
2. In a state of rage, the amount of hormones and cholesterol in the body increases, causing irreparable damage to the stomach.
3. Medical experts say that sometimes blood clots are present in blood, which can get stuck in any part of the body due to high blood pressure, which stops the flow of blood there and that part becomes paralyzed.
4. According to Dr. Redford B. Williams, a scientist at Duke University, USA, people with rage and hatred die quickly. According to him, rage causes the same damage to the human heart as smoking.
5. According to the American Heart Association, many people die prematurely simply because of the intensity of rage and resentment. Rage and resentment are one of the leading causes of heart attacks.

Q3. How do you cure rage?

Answer:

• Atiyah ibn Sa’d relates: The Holy Prophet said: Rage comes from Satan, Satan was created of fire, and fire is extinguished only with water; so when one of you becomes angry, he should perform ablution. (Abu Dawood 4784)
• Two men cursed each other in front of the Holy Prophet, until rage could be recognized in the face of one of them. So the Holy Prophet said: “Verily, I know a statement, that if he were to say it, his rage would leave: ‘I seek refuge in Allah from Shaitan, the rejected (A`ūdhu billāhi minash-shaiṭānir-rajīm).’” (Tirmidhi 3452)
• Syedna Usman Ghani said “Silence is the best cure for anger.”