Fatwas / Hadith and its sciences / How do we reconcile between the hadiths which narrated about the Prophet’s (peace be
Question
Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. How do we reconcile between the hadiths which narrated about the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) anger and the fact that he was forbearing? كيف نجمع بين الأحاديث التي ورد غضب النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وبين حلمه
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions. Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As to what follows: In response to your question, we say: If a person is described as being forbearing that does not mean that he does not get angry at all. Indeed the Messenger of Allah had the most perfect character and Allah bore witness to that and said, “And indeed, you are of a great moral character” [al-Qalam 68: 4]. It was part of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) character that he did not angry for personal reasons. Al-Bukhari (6786) and Muslim (2328) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him): “never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah's Limits were transgressed, he would take revenge for Allah's Sake”. In the narration of Muslim, ‘Aishah (peace be upon her) said, “ Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) never beat anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, but only, in the case when he had been fighting in the cause of Allah and he never took revenge for anything unless the things made inviolable by Allah were made violable; he then took revenge for Allah, the Exalted and Glorious” [Muslim (2328)]. Thus what has been transmitted concerning the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) anger is interpreted to mean commended anger which is an indication of venerating Allah. The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) anger did not make him exceed the bounds of Allah’s law, rather, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to speak the truth when he was angry and when he was pleased. This is proved by what was transmitted in at-Tirmithi (1990) by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “They said: 'O Messenger of Allah! You joke with us?' He said: 'Indeed I do not say except what is true.'
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions. Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As to what follows: In response to your question, we say: If a person is described as being forbearing that does not mean that he does not get angry at all. Indeed the Messenger of Allah had the most perfect character and Allah bore witness to that and said, “And indeed, you are of a great moral character” [al-Qalam 68: 4]. It was part of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) character that he did not angry for personal reasons. Al-Bukhari (6786) and Muslim (2328) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him): “never took revenge for himself concerning any matter that was presented to him, but when Allah's Limits were transgressed, he would take revenge for Allah's Sake”. In the narration of Muslim, ‘Aishah (peace be upon her) said, “ Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) never beat anyone with his hand, neither a woman nor a servant, but only, in the case when he had been fighting in the cause of Allah and he never took revenge for anything unless the things made inviolable by Allah were made violable; he then took revenge for Allah, the Exalted and Glorious” [Muslim (2328)]. Thus what has been transmitted concerning the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) anger is interpreted to mean commended anger which is an indication of venerating Allah. The Prophet’s (peace be upon him) anger did not make him exceed the bounds of Allah’s law, rather, the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to speak the truth when he was angry and when he was pleased. This is proved by what was transmitted in at-Tirmithi (1990) by Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated, “They said: 'O Messenger of Allah! You joke with us?' He said: 'Indeed I do not say except what is true.'
