Every now and then we face provocations. How can one live amidst these negative experiences with positive thinking? How is it possible? There is a verse in the Quran which says that those who believe “forgive when they are angry.” (42: 37). This positive response of forgiveness in the face of provocation is a main source of cultivating a positive personality.
Once, a man came to the Prophet and asked him for a master-advice by which he could manage all the affairs of his life. The Prophet replied: “Don’t be angry.” (Sahih al-Bukhari). What does this mean? It means that when one is provoked, one should be able to keep control over anger.
If you read the Quran and Hadith, you will find many verses in which the believers have been strongly discouraged from getting angry.
The Quran says: وَإِذَا مَا غَضِبُوا هُمْ يَغْفِرُونَ (42.37) Who forgive when they are angry.
You get angry, but you give out forgiveness. You become angry within, but what people receive from you is not anger. They receive forgiveness. This is a unique teaching of the Quran. This helps us understand that anger is a natural phenomenon. There is no person who won’t get angry at all. Anger is a God-given feature of human nature.
You will definitely become angry if you feel something is going against you. If you get angry, you must control yourself. You should put an end to it. You should control anger within yourself. You must not vent it on others. The other verse in the Quran is: Copy arabic text (3.134) The Quran doesn’t say Copy arabic text, or believers are those who don’t get angry at all. Rather, believers are those who restrain their anger. This is the quality of believers.
