Another important point is that an angry
person thinks himself to be very great. Pride is hidden in the folds of
his anger. When he is angry at someone, his intention is to degrade that
person and prove his own greatness. When anger arises in him, look at
his face or put a mirror in front of him and tell him to see for
himself, or record his angered voice on a tape and let him listen to it.
A human being never realizes his own illnesses, he may say that his
anger is for the sake of Allah, but this assumption of his can never be
reliable. He should have it tested by a spiritual guide who has far
sightedness, and will tell him if his anger is right, but the one who
says he is always right, is in fact the wrong one.
One who tells his
spiritual guide that he does not know anything and that the one who is
the target of his anger is such and such, then know that he thinks his
spiritual guide to be a fool. Chase such a disciple out of the khanqah
(institution of spiritual guidance and reformation) holding him by his
ear. In anger, if you have oppressed someone, never be ashamed to ask
forgiveness of him. Please him in this world, otherwise you will be
sorry on the day of Qiyamah! Now, listen to what status that person will get who makes amends and
has his anger treated. Once Hadhrat Phulpoori (RA) got extremely angry
at a person, for though he was a great friend of Allah, he was after all
human and it is only human to make mistakes. The person with whom
Hadhrat got angry was a villager who was a little backward. His village
was about one and a half miles away from Phulpoor to which he returned.
After the villager had left, Hadhrat regretted having become so angry at
him. He therefore set out for that village after Asr, to ask
forgiveness from the villager.
Hadhrat relates that he was so upset over what he had done that he
could not think straight and even lost his way. Somehow he searched for
the way through the fields and finally reached the village quite late.
Hadhrat asked the man to forgive him for the sake of Allah, as he had
wronged him. The villager would not agree saying: “You are a great
Moulana, and I am an ignorant one. You are like my father and a father
has rights upon his son.” Hadhrat said to him: “I don’t know what will
happen on the day of Qiyamah, only then will it be known who is small
and who is great. Until you do not tell me that you have forgiven me, I
will not move from here.” The person then said: “All right, only because
you are commanding me, in order to please you, I will say that I have
forgiven you, but otherwise you have great rights over me.” Then only
did Hadhrat return. On the same night, Hadhrat saw in his dream that
Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam and Hadhrat Ali (RA) were sitting
in a boat, and at a little distance from them, he was sitting alone in
another boat. Rasulullah Sallallahu alaihi wasallam commanded Hadhrat
Ali (RA) to join Hadhrat’s boat to his Sallallahu alaihi wasallam’s own
boat.
When Hadhrat Ali (RA) joined them, it made such a beautiful sound,
the enjoyment of which Hadhrat was still feeling right upto the time he
narrated the dream. Look! What an immense reward was given for humbling
oneself and being regretful!
