Verily, I know a word; if he said it, his rage would go away. If he said: I seek refuge with Allah from the devil, his rage would go away

Explanation

Two men cursed and insulted each other in the presence of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and the face of one of them turned red and the veins surrounding his neck became swollen. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Verily, I know a word; if this angry man said it, his anger would go away. If he said: I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed devil. They said to him: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: Seek refuge with Allah from the devil. Thereupon he said: Am I mad? thinking that only the mad seek refuge with Allah from the devil.

Lessons

• Keenness of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) on providing guidance and instruction when there is a reason for it.
• Anger is from the devil.
• The command to seek refuge with Allah from the devil when angry, as Allah Almighty says: {If you are tempted by Satan, seek refuge with Allah...}
• Warning against abuse and curses and criticizing them because they lead to hostilities between people.
• Advice should be conveyed to those who did not hear it so that they would benefit from it.
• The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against anger because it leads to evil and recklessness, and he (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) never got angry unless the prohibitions of Allah Almighty were violated, which is praiseworthy anger.
• Commenting on "Do you see any madness in me?"  An-Nawawi said: It is probable that the sayer was from the hypocrites or the rude Bedouins.