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J / r' "Having loyalty for the sake of Allah, disassociating from others for the sake of Allah, love for the sake of Allah and hatred for the sake of Allah."1 1 Recorded by al-Tayaalisi, al-Haakim, al-Tabaraani and others. According to al-Albaani, it is sahih. See al-Albaani, sahih al-Jaami, vol. 1 , p. 497. Hadith #16: "Do not become angry'' However, some people seem to think that this is how Muslims should be: If someone sees something wrong in the mosque, he should just accept it in the name of brotherhood. If someone sees the sunnah being ignored and heresies being practiced, he should be accepting. But this approach is definitely wrong. This was not the approach of the Prophet (peace be upon him). The Prophet (peace be upon him) never got upset for any personal motives but if the laws of Allah were being violated, then he would get upset. One time the Prophet (peace be upon him) came to Aisha's apartment and she had a sheet that had pictures on it. The Prophet's face changed color due to his anger and he grabbed the sheet and tore it apart. 1 He said that the people who made those pictures would have the greatest punishment on the Day of Judgment.2 Unfortunately, many people deal with anger in exactly the opposite of the proper manner. They get upset if anything touches them personally, this is when a person should restrain his anger. By doing so, he will please Allah. These same people do not get upset when the laws of Allah are violated. They do not get angry when they see forbidden acts or if they hear things that go clearly against the Quran and sunnah, such as heretical views and so forth. By getting angry for those matters, one will also please Allah. Anyone who behaves in this fashion must realize that the way he is behaving is the reverse of the correct and proper situation. If, from the shareeah point of view, a person's rights are violated or he is wronged, he then has the right to get angry. He has the right to attempt to rectify that situation. However, during that time he does not have the right to do forbidden acts, such as cursing others, simply out of anger. Other Points Related to This Hadith • As stated above, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said that when one gets angry, he should remain silent. This demonstrates that an angry person is still responsible for his deeds. What he does and what he says while angry will be held against him. If he damages someone else's property, he will be held responsible for that. If he divorces his wife while in a state of anger3, that is a true and legal divorce. This has been the clearly expressed opinion of ibn Abbaas and Aisha. And there is no question that it is the correct 1 Some people today are claiming that the prohibition of images refers only to idols and three­ dimensional objects. This incident concerning the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself is a clear refutation of their false claims. 2 Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim. 3 Some people say that divorce while in a state of anger is not a divorce. Obviously, the only time a person divorces his wife, in general, is when he is angry about something that is related to her. It is hard to imagine a person divorcing his wife while he is in a state of felicity and happiness with her. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi opinion: a divorce stated while in anger is still a legal divorce with all of its necessary ramifications. 1 • Al-Hasan al-Basri once stated, "There are four characteristics that if one ,. possesses them, Allah protects him from Satan and forbids him from the fire. [These four are found in] the one who controls himself while in a state of craving, fearing, desiring [or lusting] and being angry." lbn Rajab states that those four are the path to every evil. When a person craves something, he believes that that thing is beneficial for him and he wants it. However, he begins to want it by any means. He even begins to disregard whether the means he is following to achieve that goal are permissible or forbidden.2 Indeed, if a person truly wants to achieve or attain something, he should tum to Allah and ask Allah for help-- instead of ignoring Allah's laws and seeking the goal by any means. When a person fears something, such as poverty or losing a job, he often time seeks any means to flee from it and protect himself from it. He may even lie and cheat to protect himself from what he fears. So the means that he follows are forbidden means. Again, he should once again turn to Allah and ask Allah to protect him from any harm. That will be the best for him in both this life and the Hereafter.