Part 5: Diseases and Vices of the Heart : Heart Therapy

Read the Table of Contents of Heart Therapy

Read Part 4 (c): Iblis’ Last Attack

Purification involves two stages:

• Firstly, Cleansing the heart of its vices and diseases
• Secondly, Increasing the good characteristics and virtues of the heart.

To achieve the first step of cleansing ourselves from the vices and diseases of the heart and soul, we need to consider the various diseases.

1. Ghadab (Anger): No one is free from anger. Allah affirms a praiseworthy anger for himself- in a way that befits His Majesty and not like the anger of His creation- and for his Prophets,

   “Whoever disbelieved in Allâh after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest with Faith, but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from Allâh, and theirs will be a great torment.” (16:106)

   Thus anger per se is neither inherently censurable not is it, by default, a disease; rather, certain types of anger are sinful and certain consequences of anger are blameworthy.

   Excessive Anger

   Excessive anger is blameworthy as it prevents the afflicted person from thinking straight, often overtaking his intellect, and sometimes even religion. This type of anger may result in the person committing verbal and/or physical abuse, perhaps without him even realising it. Such anger is nearly always followed by regret and remorse, and the consequences are such that families and relationships suffer or be broken because of its effects.

   Aby Ya’la reports with a good chain that when ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Amr (RA) asked the Messenger of Allah (SAW) as to that which would save him from the wrath of Allah, the Prophet replied, ‘Do not get angry.’ Scholars commented that the Prophet is not referring to ‘ridding oneself of anger entirely’ but rather to controlling it, for the Prophet said, as recorded in al- Bukhari, “The strong person is not he who overcomes others with his strength, rather it is him who controls himself in the face of anger.”

   Reward for Restraint

   Mu’ad ibn Jabal (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said, “if anyone suppresses anger when he is in a position to give vent to it, Allah, the Exalted, will call him on the Day of Resurrection over the heads of all creatures, and ask him to choose any of the bright and large eyes maidens he wishes.” (Abu Dawud)

   Important Note

   It is not required from a person that he rid himself of the emotion of anger. What is required is that he avoid the consequences of this anger, restrain the emotion and keep it under control so that it does not mislead him into that which is disliked or prohibited. This is why forbearance matters most in the face of anger, as this is when the person is tested.

   This is why ‘Abdullah Ibn Masu’d said, “Judge a person’s forbearance when he is angry and his trustworthiness when he is craving for something.” He was teaching an important principle: that when a person is happy and content, there is no point judging his tolerance because in that state it is easy for a person to be tolerant. What really counts is when a person is tolerant in a state of anger, perhaps when someone has committed an injustice towards him.

Read the next part,  Part 5 (a): The Causes and Effects of Anger