The Qur’an is, without a doubt, the supreme book that knows the human soul best. When the Qur’an speaks of the place of anger in our nature, it acts almost like a torch illuminating the path for psychology and behavioral sciences. As a matter of fact, one of the virtues praised in Āl ʿImrān is this: “Those who spend in prosperity and adversity, who restrain their anger, and who pardon people. And Allah loves the doers of good.” (Āl ʿImrān, 3:134)
What is striking here, of course, is not the complete eradication of anger. It is its “swallowing.”
So, of whom does the Qur’an speak in this verse?
“Hasten to forgiveness from your Lord and to a Paradise as vast as the heavens and the earth, prepared for those who are mindful of Allah.” (Āl ʿImrān, 3:134)
In other words, it is speaking of the “God-conscious”—the muttaqīn.
“This is the Book in which there is no doubt. A guidance for the God-conscious.” (al-Baqara, 2:2)
“The most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” (al-Ḥujurāt, 49:13)
According to the Qur’an, who are the God-conscious, those who avoid exceeding the limits set by Allah?
They are those who give in both abundance and scarcity, meaning not only when they have plenty, but also when they have little. They are those who restrain their anger and forgive.
Thus, according to the Qur’an, one of the conditions of God-consciousness—of guarding oneself against disobedience to Allah—is precisely this: the ability to swallow anger.
Anger is naturally part of the human soul; yet when controlled and managed, it can be transformed into a power that leads toward wisdom and maturity. When a person is insulted, what triggers anger is not the insult itself but the thoughts it evokes in the mind—“I am worthless, I have been wronged.” When these thoughts are reframed, anger too takes a different form. What the Qur’an points to with the term “swallowing” is not denying anger but bringing it under control through mental transformation.
Forgiveness, then, is not only setting the other person free but also liberating oneself from the chains of anger. That the Qur’an continues with “and those who pardon people” shows that the ultimate aim of swallowing anger is to free the heart.
In human relationships, swallowing anger creates a chain reaction of peace, like falling dominoes. When one person restrains anger, the other does not respond with equal intensity, and balance is restored.
This is precisely where the Qur’an and modern psychology meet: anger cannot be eliminated, but it can be managed.
Suppressed anger consumes a person from within; explosive anger burns the person first. Swallowed anger, however, transforms and matures the individual. Today, in therapy sessions, people are advised to keep anger journals, practice breathing exercises, and restructure their thoughts. This verse, centuries old, summarizes all these techniques in a single phrase: “Swallow your anger.”
Now, think about the meanings that the word “angel” (melek) evokes in your mind. We say, for example, “a person like an angel.” What kind of person is that?
The word melek symbolizes purity and innocence in the human mind. When we imagine an angel, what comes to mind is not power but gentleness; not anger but tranquility; not self-interest but submission. The word evokes another dimension of existence—an existence devoted entirely to love, kindness, and obedience.
Yet in Arabic, melek is related to mulk (possession), malik (king), and mālik (owner), words associated with authority and dominion. On the other hand, meleke means an inner faculty or moral capacity, reflecting how melek suggests a pure force in the inner world of the human being.
When these meanings come together, the concept of the angel reminds us: true strength lies not in brute force but in purity, innocence, and the ability to dissolve one’s ego into God’s will.
But human beings are different from angels. Humans feel anger, hold grudges, and succumb to hatred. What makes humans potentially superior to angels is precisely this: despite these emotions, they have the capacity to transcend them. Angels do not get angry, but humans can feel anger and still restrain it. Angels know no grudges, but humans can experience them and then let go. Humanity’s true greatness lies here: the test takes shape in the midst of these contradictions.
To internalize love is the human path to approach the pure nature of angels. Angels, created from pure light, are like radiance itself; when humans internalize love, they leave the shadows of anger behind and move closer to that plane of light. We now know that hatred increases stress, anxiety, and depression, while love regulates the nervous system and strengthens health. From this perspective, the angelic state represents the healthiest state of the human soul.
Thus, yes: in the human mind, the angel is the purest manifestation of love. Whoever wishes to approach this plane must first cleanse the heart of resentment and hatred, discipline anger, and make love a way of being.
And perhaps the secret of the power that brought the throne of the Queen of Sheba before Solomon lies here as well:
“One who had knowledge of the Book said: ‘I will bring it to you before your glance returns to you.’ And when Solomon saw it placed firmly before him, he said: ‘This is by the grace of my Lord to test whether I will give thanks or be ungrateful. And whoever is grateful, it is only for his own soul. And whoever is ungrateful, my Lord is Self-Sufficient, Generous.’” (al-Naml, 27:40)
What is striking here is not the “power” of the one who brought the throne, but the fact that he was “a man with knowledge of the Book.” This knowledge was not something of dry intellect, but something that only a pure heart could carry. Its essence, perhaps, was the purification of the heart.
Another point in Sūrat al-Naml is this: first, an ifrit (a mighty being from the jinn) appears and says, “I will bring it to you before you rise from your place.” But then, immediately after, a servant with knowledge of the Book speaks and brings the throne “before your glance returns.” The subtlety here is this: what the ifrit offers is based on brute force. But the one who actually brings the throne relies on knowledge of the Book. He is only a servant. The real power lies not in displays of strength, but in knowledge, wisdom, purity of heart, and the secret of servanthood.
This shows us: brute force or external power alone is not enough to attain true knowledge. That is why it was not the ifrit but the servant with angelic-like purity who brought the throne. For true power, as angels symbolize, lies in innocence and in the annihilation of the self in God’s will.
So, let us all once again recall the Qur’an’s counsel: let us strive to swallow our anger.
