Anger Prolongs Path to Happiness
Naturally one is not always in the same emotional state. Sometimes he is happy and sometimes conditions are such that make him angry. A successful person is one who is able to curb his anger and not let it get out of control. Those who cannot control their anger will only suffer loss and harm.
God, in the Holy Quran, says one of the qualities of the righteous is that when they get angry, they tend to forgive: “(This reward will be for) those who keep away from major sins and indecency, who forgive when they are made angry.” (Verse 37 of Surah Ash-Shura)
These are people who curb their anger and refuse to get into the trap of sins and crimes with anger. Pointing to this quality right after highlighting the importance of avoiding grave sins is that many of those sins originate in getting angry.
Interestingly, the verse does not say they don’t get angry, because it is natural for every person to get angry in difficult situations. What matters is that the righteous have control over their anger and will never allow it to get dominance.
Another point is that anger is not always bad and destructive.
Another verse of the Quran talks about the anger of a divine messenger, namely Yunus (Jonah) toward his people. The anger seemed to be holy but it originated in bafflement.
Due to this Tark al-Awla (doing something good and abandoning what is better to do), God put Yunus (AS) in a difficult situation until he repented the Tark al-Awla.
“And ThulNun (Prophet Jonah), he went away in anger thinking We had no power over him. But in the darkness he cried: ‘There is no god except You. Exaltations to You! I was among the harmdoers.’” (Verse 87 of Surah Al-Anbiya)
What had Yunus (AS) done to deserve such a punishment? We know that prophets of God never commit sins. On the other hand, getting angry with a people who insist on their deviated path and do not accept invitation to God seems natural. But it would have been better for a divine messenger like him to remain with his people until the last moment and not to lose hope in their guidance. If Yunus (AS) had not gotten angry, may be they would have become regretful before the last moment. And that is what actually happen.
After Yunus (AS) returned to the people, they repented on the last moment and God did not send them the punishment they had been supposed to receive.
