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The Prophet’s medicine for anger
A man sought advice from the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) said to him, “Don’t be angry.” The man repeatedly sought for more advice and the Prophet (PBUH) repeated, “Don’t be angry.” (Refer to Bukhari). Now, it is scientifically and medically proved that anger as a form of human reaction affects human heart. It increases the rate of heart beat to an abnormal or unnatural state and consequently increases the blood pushed in the blood vessels and increases the probability of blood pressure and heart attack. It is well known that physical efforts such as running or working a physically hard work increases the heart beat. But in such cases the heart beat is accompanied by physical exertion and toil.
But in the case of anger, it is only the heart which experience tense in addition to the harmonic and inner changes which affect the angry man, more blood gets pumped into the body whose blood vessels are not ready and wide to receive the pushed blood and consequently, creates blood pressure and heart attack. A running man may stops running and achieve a normal rate of heart beat, but an angry man may not be able to get rid of the anger and its cause quickly and consequently increases an imbalance heart tense and this results into health problems. This is in addition to the social tension, crimes and family unrest.
Scientists, in the past, used to think that the anger expressed frankly and openly is not harmful to health. They lead to the same consequences. They may differ in their intensity. In the case of suppressed anger, a repeated suppressed anger may increase blood pressure and sometimes causes cancer. But in the case of frankly expressed anger and when it is repeated, it may lead to damages in arteries of heart and increases the possibility of heart attack. Because the explosion of anger may increase its wares and it becomes difficult to control the reaction of the angry because the physical state of the person is inseparable from his psychological condition. Consequently, the effect of anger reaches to the human glands with secretions. These secretions may forbid the reasoning and immunising system to act. They may hinder the work of anti-bodies. The body fails to use its defensive weapons which are released by important glands. The body becomes weak as a result of repeated anger. This may interpret the reason behind the turning of normal cells into cancerous cells due to the absence of the normal functioning of the defence system of the body.
Therefore, it is clear that the saying of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) contains a valuable wisdom, which, if followed, protects the human body. There are scientific medical miracles in the saying of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) who advised Muslims not be to angry.
Anger and its disastrous consequences
Dr Ahmed Shawgi Ibrahim, a member of the Royal Medical Association in London and an internal and heart diseases consultant categorised human tendencies into three types. The following are the main human tendencies: the lustful tendencies, which leads to anger and agitation; the domination tendencies, which leads to arrogance and tendency to colonise; the satanic tendencies, which leads to hate and detest others.
Whatever may be the type of anger, it instigates the body, affects the heart and causes physical and psychological diseases, such as diabetes, heart attack. The modern medical research confirmed that anger, particularly when it repeatedly overwhelms man, decreases his age. Therefore, Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) advised Muslim not to be angry. This does not means that a Muslim should not be angry at all. No, but it means he should not be excessively angry. A Muslim should be angry when there is aggression against his religion, his holy sister, his fellow Muslim brothers. A Muslim should be angry if there is a violation of the teachings of Islam but he should repeat the aggression with an equal aggression. He should not be an aggressor. In case of anger, which results from personal conflicts, the Prophet (PBUH) advised the angry advised the angry man to restrain himself and remain silent. The Prophet also says that an angry man should solve a problem between two persons.
The Qur’an also portrays anger as a satanic power, which conquers man and pushes him to commit deeds which he would have not committed if he were in a normal state of affairs. Prophet Moses dropped the wood boards which contained the holy words of Allah and caught the head of his brother and dragged it towards him. This was because he was angry due to the violation of the teachings of Allah made by his followers in his absence. When anger disappeared and Moses restored his normal mood he picked up the wood boards.
Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) praised self-restrain when one is angry by saying that the strong man is not strong by his ability to knock down but by his ability to exercise self-retain when he is angry. Anger cannot be avoided by taking sedative tablets and medicines because such medicines will give effect only after repeated uses. Moreover, they make man addictive of such medicines.
Anger changes human behaviour and conducts. Therefore, for the purpose of avoiding anger man should change his behaviour and adopt a wise course of solving daily problems and turn his anger into calmness, balance and tranquility.
Dr Ahmed Shawagi adds, the psycho therapists found two ways of curing the angry patient. The first by reducing the sensitiveness to actions and reactions by training the patient, under the supervision of a doctor, to practise relaxation and self-control while facing the same difficult situations which made him angry before. Hence he becomes capable of confronting such problems without getting angry or irritated. The second way of treatment is by adopting muscle and psychological relaxation. The doctor asks the patient to remember the difficult and problematic situations. If the patient is standing he is asked to lie down and gets chances of meditation and tranquility. This method of treatment is adopted by the modern psychotherapy, whereas Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) has explained it more than 14 centuries ago. The Prophet (PBUH) said if any of you becomes angry while he was standing he should sit down, if anger does not disappear then he should lie down.
Source: Reformation Magazine No.: 296,1994 From the symposiums of the Association of the scientific Miracles in Quran, Cairo.
