How to Handle Strong Aggression Problems?
Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Question
A brother I know has severe anger issues despite being firmly in the Deen. Reciting the Quran, ruqya, and nasheeds has not helped, and while Tildin has, the anger returns when he runs out. Any advice or lesser-known Islamic practice to help?
Answer
Anger is a normal train in a human being, but if it becomes uncontrollable, it can indicate various causes: some spiritual, such as arrogance, and some physical and emotional, such as trauma or constant stress. It’s important to identify the actual cause to treat the root of the issue.
I advise a combination of blessing on the Prophet (Allah blesss him and give him peace) and therapy. The blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) have a ‘cooling’ effect on a person, which counteracts the ‘heat’ of anger. (Zarruq, Qawa’id al-Tasawwuf) He should try reciting a few hundred, or more if he can, daily, preceded by a du’a to Allah to give him the character of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace)
The fact that the medication helped indicates it – at least partially – has a physical or emotional cause. He should continue with the medication in whatever way his doctor has prescribed. Taking active steps to remove stressors from his life is also important.
Beyond that, he should see a therapist and try to identify the cause and try to heal. There may be a cost, but he should intend to spend on improving himself, and he will be rewarded, insha’Allah. Start by getting him to listen to this seminar, which will make the approach to therapy clearer and easier for him, insha’Allah.
May Allah adorn our character with the clemency of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.
