Академия Корана:Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān/Anger
| Shahzad Bashir, "Anger" in: Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, General Editor: J. D. McAuliffe, Georgetown University, Washington DC. |
A manifestation of God’s opprobrium mentioned numerous times in the Qurʾān in the context of his censure of unbelievers, detractors of Muḥammad and those guilty of moral and material crimes and general wrongdoing. It is furthermore an emotion attributed to believers, Muḥammad’s enemies and prophets, for instance Moses (q.v.) and Jonah (q.v.).
God’s anger, paired occasionally with his curse (q.v.; q 4:93; 5:60; 24:9; 48:6), symbolizes his negative opinion of certain human behavior. Among past nations, the pre-Islamic prophet Hūd (q.v.) informed the people of ʿĀd (q.v.) of God’s anger against them (q 7:71), while the People of the Book (q.v.) incurred God’s anger by mistreating messengers sent to them (q 3:112). Jews (see jews and judaism) in particular are chastised for disobeying their prophets' monotheistic injunctions (q 2:61; 7:152; 20:86).
Polytheists, hypocrites and those who swear to falsehood knowingly are among those who provoke God’s wrath (q 48:6; 58:14; see belief and unbelief; hypocrites and hypocrisy). Their lasting abode is a blazing fire that wants to consume them in its fury (q 25:12). Jews and other People of the Book also continue to incur God’s wrath by aligning themselves with the unbelievers (q 5:59-60) and by «denying the revelation which God has sent down» (q 2:90). See also opposition to muḥammad.
Aside from the specifically named groups, those who are religiously and morally misdirected in a general sense are also subject to God’s anger (q 1:7; 3:162; 20:81; 47:28; 60:13). In addition, God’s wrath falls on those miscreants who spread discontent among the believers by attempting to dissuade them from their faith (q 42:16). The same fate is reserved for a believer who relinquishes his faith, unless under compulsion or torture (q 16:106), for someone who murders a believer (q 4:93) and for a believer who turns away from a righteous battle (q 8:16). A woman accused of adultery by her husband may, in the absence of any evidence in support of the adultery such as other witnesses, refute the charge by professing her innocence and swearing that God’s wrath be upon her if her accuser is telling the truth (q 24:9). See also apostasy; murder; adultery and fornication.
With respect to anger as a human emotion, the Qurʾān mentions Moses' outburst against his people for being led astray in worshipping a calf of gold (q.v.) during his absence (q 7:150, 154; 20:86). The prophet Jonah was angry at God in a moment of unjustified frustration, but eventually realized his error and was saved (q 21:87-8). When the time of fighting against those who oppose Muḥammad is over, the Qurʾān states that God improves the believers' hearts by removing their anger against their enemies and making them merciful (q 9:15). Suppression of anger is generally deemed a praiseworthy quality (q 3:134; 42:37). In contrast to the merciful believers, the unbelievers (q 22:15; 33:25; 48:29), the hypocrites (q 3:119) and those who criticize Muḥammad out of greed (q 9:58) are said to be seething in anger because of his success and God’s protection of him. See also punishment stories.
Bibliography
- Nwyia, Exégèse, 74-99
- Watt-Bell, Introduction, 127-35