He Who Is Enraged Is Alike A Madman Possessed By Shaytan

عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ صُرَدٍ قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَرَجُلَانِ يَسْتَبَّانِ فَأَحَدُهُمَا احْمَرَّ وَجْهُهُ وَانْتَفَخَتْ أَوْدَاجُهُ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنِّي لَأَعْلَمُ كَلِمَةً لَوْ قَالَهَا ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ مَا يَجِدُ لَوْ قَالَ أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ ذَهَبَ عَنْهُ مَا يَجِدُ فَقَالُوا لَهُ إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ تَعَوَّذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ فَقَالَ وَهَلْ بِي جُنُونٌ

Narrated Sulaiman bin Surd:

While I was sitting in the company of the Prophet, two men abused each other and the face of one of them became red with anger, and his jugular veins swelled (i.e. he became furious). On that the Prophet said, "I know a word, the saying of which will cause him to relax, if he does say it. If he says 'I seek refuge with Allah from Satan', then all his anger will go away." Somebody said to him, "The Prophet has said, 'Seek refuge with Allah from Satan."' The angry man said, "Am I mad?"

Sahih (Sahih al-Bukhari 3282)

Translation from sunnah.com

Reflections:

1. Islam disallows fighting and disputes with one another.

2. Those who fight and dispute are prone to engaging in insults.

3. One who disputes can easily be influenced by shaytan and consequently lose self-control, akin to a madman. This leads to spewing forth insults, ridicule, and slander (either written or verbal), without thinking of the negative repercussions to oneself or others.

4. One who is in a state of anger will frequently not only have a raised and rough voice, but the face will also be reddish and the veins of the neck will bulge.

5. In moments of anger, the Prophet (ﷺ) taught us to recite the isti’azah in order to fend off shaytan and to cool off the anger: 

أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ الشَّيْطَانِ

6.  We are reminded to read isti’azah when reciting the Quran – what more when we are engaging in other activities.

فَإِذَا قَرَأْتَ الْقُرْآنَ فَاسْتَعِذْ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيم

So when you recite the Qur'an, [first] seek refuge in Allah from Satan, the expelled [from His mercy]. (al-Nahl: 98, Sahih International)

Let us seek Allah’s protection from shaytan, especially in moments of anger.