The Virtue Of One Who Controls Himself At Times Of Anger; And What Takes Away Anger

2609a. Abu Huraira (may Allah ta’ala be pleased with him) reported Allah’s Messenger 

(peace and blessings be upon him) as saying: ‘The strong man is not one who wrestles well but the strong man is one who controls himself when he is in a fit of rage.’

Sahih Muslim – 2609a / (in-book reference) Book 45, Hadith 140 – sunnah.com/muslim:2609a 

It’s easy for us as men to let anger spill over into action but the strong man as our prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, the strong-man is the one that can control himself when in a fit of rage.

A point I want to highlight is with regard to wrestling and such martial arts as we generally know them today. Wrestling was known to the Muslims over 1400 years ago, our prophet (peace be upon him) is said to have engaged in wrestling, those were men!

Learning an art such as wrestling will help one control their anger, exercise their body, and equip a man with a better chance of subduing an attacker. Learning any knowledge should humble us when we come to remember we didn’t invent the wheel i.e. there are people out there that will mangle you and me due to the skill in wrestling they have.

Exercise, just going for a walk or running are real and fast-acting ways towards controlling anger. From the prophetic example, there are many other ways to control anger such as sitting down if standing, laying down if sitting, making wudu, and seeking refuge with Allah (the mighty and wise) from the cursed Shaytaan. But, physical activity should still have a place in your life whatever you do to manage anger.