✿ Causes of Anger and Its Islamic Remedies ✿
✍ Compiled by: Dr. Raza Abdullah Pasha ḥafiẓahullāh
❖ Question:
Does anger arise due to the deception of Shayṭān?
✔ Answer:
Yes, absolutely!
Anger is directly linked to the influence of Shayṭān, as clearly stated in authentic ḥadīths.
❖ Hadith Evidence #1: Shayṭān’s Role in Anger
Sulaimān ibn Ṣurad رضي الله عنه narrates:
“I was sitting with the Prophet ﷺ and two men were insulting one another. One of them was so enraged that his face turned red and his breathing intensified.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
‘إني لأعلم كلمة لو قالها لذهب عنه ما يجد، لو قال: أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، ذهب عنه ما يجد‘
‘I know a phrase which, if he says it, his anger will go away. If he says: Aʿūdhu billāhi min al-shayṭān al-rajīm, his anger will be extinguished.'”
The people said to him:
“Do you not hear what the Prophet ﷺ is saying? Say: Aʿūdhu billāhi min al-shayṭān al-rajīm.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Ḥadīth 3108 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim Ḥadīth 2610]
❖ Hadith Evidence #2: Nature of Anger and Its Remedy
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“إن الغضب من الشيطان، وإن الشيطان خُلِق من نار، وإنما تُطفأ النار بالماء، فإذا غضب أحدكم فليتوضأ”
[Sunan Abī Dāwūd Ḥadīth 4784]
“Anger is from Shayṭān, and Shayṭān is created from fire. Fire is extinguished with water, so if one of you becomes angry, let him perform wudūʼ (ablution).”
❖ Islamic Remedies for Anger
① Recite “Aʿūdhu billāhi min al-shayṭān al-rajīm” repeatedly.
② Perform wudūʼ (ablution) to cool the inner heat.
③ Change your posture — if standing, sit down; if sitting, lie down.
④ Change your location — move away from the place where anger occurred.
⑤ Seek forgiveness from the one wronged, if applicable.
⑥ Spit lightly three times to the left, as a symbolic gesture to repel Shayṭān.
✔ Summary
✔ Anger is a tool used by Shayṭān to disrupt human behavior and relationships.
✔ The Prophet ﷺ provided clear spiritual and practical remedies to suppress anger.
✔ By remembering Allah, making wudūʼ, and physically distancing oneself from the source of provocation, a Muslim can defeat Shayṭān’s influence and maintain self-control.
