Anger for the sake of Allaah: A part of Imaan By Asma bint Shameem Few weeks back, we talked about the reprehensible kind of anger, the kind that is fueled by pride and selfish desires for the ‘nafs‘. Anger that inspires a person to avenge his own personal feelings is indeed blameworthy.
However, there is also the kind of anger which is praiseworthy….the kind of anger that is an integral part of our Deen….without which one’s Imaan is weak and bereft…..This is the anger for the sake of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’ala. There is a misconception in our society and culture that ALL anger is bad…..some of us even go as far as to say that all anger is HARAAM! But that is absolutely NOT TRUE. The Prophet (pbuh) did got angry: To the contrary, there are many examples in the Sunnah that show us that the Prophet (pbuh) got angry. However, his anger was never to defend himself or for personal reasons, Rather, it was to ensure the dominance of Allah’s Word…..the protection of His boundaries. The Companions relate that the Prophet (pbuh) would never became angry for anything. However, if the sanctity of Allah was profaned, then nothing could assuage his anger.” [Bukhaari and Muslim] So when the Prophet saw a curtain having pictures (of animals) in Umm ul Mo’mineen Aishas(RA)house…“His face got red with anger, and then he got hold of the curtain and tore it into pieces. The Prophet said, "Such people as paint these pictures will receive the severest punishment on the Day of Resurrection ." (Bukhaari) And when a man was brought to the Prophet in a state of intoxication…..“The Prophet felt it hard (was angry) and ordered all those who were present in the house, to beat him.” (Bukhaari) And when a man came to the Prophet and said "I keep away from the morning prayer only because such and such person prolongs the prayer when he leads us in it. The narrator said: I had never seen Allah's Apostle more furious in giving advice than he was on that day.” (Bukhaari) And there are many, many other examples. His’ was the anger for the sake of Allaah, when His rights were violated….when His religion was mocked. This is the kind of anger that a Muslim should feel when Allaah is disobeyed, his religion is attacked, his beliefs blasphemed, and the honor and lives of the people are transgressed against. Indeed, what kind of piety is there in a person who witnesses Allahs sanctities being violated, His religion abandoned, the Sunnah of His Messenger shunned, and yet remains still with a cold heart and a shut mouth! So, For every defiance and disobedience to Allaah ….one should feel angry For every Sunnah being desecrated….….one should feel angry For every Bidah being introduced in the name of Ibadah….one should feel angry For every Halaal being shunned and every Haraam being adopted….one should feel angry For every human right that is being violated….one should feel angry For every act of terror…every transgression…..every oppression……every wrongdoing….one should feel angry And……Every time your kids lie….or, your family doesnt wake up for Fajr….or your wife/daughter goes out without Hijaab…one should feel angry. Because these are the acts that ANGER ALLAAH! These are deeds that bring on His wrath! These are actions that go AGAINST the teachings of His Messenger (pbuh). And whatever makes Allah angry should make us angry, too! Whatever displeases the Prophet (pbuh) should displease us, too! “You will not find any people who believe in Allaah and the Last Day, making friendship with and loving those who oppose Allaah and His Messenger, even though they were their fathers or their sons or their brothers or their people.” [al-Mujaadilah 58:22] The Prophet (pbuh) said:The strongest bond of faith is loyalty for the sake of Allah and opposition for His sake; love for the sake of Allah and enmity for His sake. Yet, we have slowly become immune to all this. We have totally lost all perspective of what is of utmost importance. We choose to ignore the slack in religion, but we are very harsh when it comes to the Dunya. We get angry if our kids are late for school…..but we let them sleep through Fajr! We get angry if they don’t work hard for their Final Exams….but we don’t worry much about how they have prepared for their REAL Final Exam….the one in the Aakhirah! We are anxious to pay our taxes on time, yet it doesn’t bother us if we didn’t pay our Zakah this year….or the year before….or the year before….! When someone disobeys our rules, we are harsh and quick to reprimand, yet we are constantly disobeying Allaah and His Messenger (pbuh) and don’t even give it second thought! When someone insults us, we are ready to fight him….yet when someone insults the Prophet (pbuh) by introducing BIDAH in the religion, we turn the other cheek! When we are inconvenienced in the slightest, we are SOOO sore…..yet when Muslims all over the world are being oppressed, we think its their problem! Subhaan Allaah! We, as true Muslims, should feel this anger to disobedience, the resentment to injustice. However, this anger, if it is truly and sincerely for Allah's sake, will only inspire us to noble deeds and to personal sacrifice, and never to base, unjust, immoral, or other un-Islamic actions. The solution lies in coming back to Allaah, making sincere repentance, and to educate the masses, spread the word of Allaah, establish the Sunnah, striving hard in His Cause with love and sincerity and setting a model for others to see with one’s own exemplary behavior. May Allaah guide us and give us the ‘Tawfeeq’to love what He loves and hate what He hates, as this is an essential part of one’s ‘Aqeedah’, without which one’s Imaan is incomplete. Permission is granted to circulate among private individuals and groups, to post on Internet sites and to publish in full text and subject title in not-for-profit publications. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveIslam_LiveIslam/ In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate "May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You" Praise be to Allaah, we seek His help and His forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allaah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomsoever Allaah guides will never be led astray, and whomsoever Allaah leaves astray, no one can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allaah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
