Anger is one of the most destructive emotions a human being feels. It ends marriages, breaks family ties, causes regret that lasts decades. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called it 'a coal from the fire of Hell' and gave the Ummah a complete prescription — a dua to recite, and four practical steps that extinguish it on the spot.
The dua to recite when angry
أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ
A'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim.
I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan.
(Sahih al-Bukhari 3282 / Sahih Muslim 2610 — narrated by Sulayman ibn Surad (RA))
The story behind the dua
Sulayman ibn Surad (RA) reported: Two men were arguing in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ, and one became so angry his face turned red and his veins swelled. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'I know a word that, if he said it, his anger would leave him: I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Shaytan.' The companions told him what the Prophet ﷺ had said, but he refused to repeat it.
The four-step Sunnah method to control anger
- 1. Recite a'udhu billahi minash-shaytanir-rajim — the dua above.
- 2. Stay silent — the Prophet ﷺ said: 'If one of you becomes angry, let him be silent' (Musnad Ahmad 2136, graded Sahih).
- 3. Change your physical posture — 'If one of you becomes angry while standing, let him sit. If the anger does not leave, let him lie down' (Sunan Abi Dawud 4782, graded Sahih).
- 4. Make wudu — anger is from fire, and water extinguishes fire (Sunan Abi Dawud 4784).
The Prophet's ﷺ definition of strength
The strong man is not the one who can wrestle others to the ground; the strong man is the one who controls himself when he is angry.
Hadith reference
The dua is in Sahih al-Bukhari (3282) and Sahih Muslim (2610). The silence hadith is in Musnad Ahmad (2136). The posture and wudu hadiths are in Sunan Abi Dawud (4782, 4784). All are graded Sahih or Hasan by classical scholars.