become infuriated or emotional and start weeping or behave in some
unexpected way in the face of day-to-day events?
• Why is it essential to avoid falling prey to this disorder, which
mainly damages the victim himself and is generally described as
someone "having a hair trigger?"
• What must be done to free oneself from the condition?
Some people live their lives according to rules they themselves have
invented. These people can easily make concessions regarding these
rules when it comes to their own worldly desires. Because they have no
guide who will direct the course of their lives, ensure they maintain
a stable character, and whom they have a total belief. For that
reason, their characters are prone to sudden variations. Among the
distinguishing features of such people are, for instance, their
suddenly slamming doors and acting aggressively towards people around
them or shouting in a loud voice although they had been sitting
perfectly calmly just five minutes ago, or suddenly bursting into
tears having just said how happy they were.
The fundamental reason for this behavioural defect that all believers
must scrupulously avoid, is that such people fail to frame their
behaviour, speech, actions, thoughts and reactions to events in the
light of the moral values of the Qur'an.
The Obstacles to a Balanced Nature
I. Following One's Worldly Desires
In the Qur'an, Almighty God reveals that people have been created with
a tendency towards selfish passions. If someone permits his worldly
concerns to rule him, then all his behaviour will be shaped by selfish
wishes. These selfish desires will prevent him displaying a stable,
consisted and balanced nature. As a result of the prompting of worldly
concerns he may suddenly become enraged, or emotional, or sulky, or
jealous and start taking sudden decisions in the light of these
emotions. His character will always come as a surprise, therefore, to
those around him. There will be no consistency between one moment and
another. His state of mind, thoughts, feeling, decisions and
perspectives can change at any moment. Because of his unbalanced and
inconsistent behaviour, such a person will always inspire feeling of
unease and distrust in those around him.
One often comes across such characters in societies that are far from
religious moral values. People with such a character are far removed
from the mindset bestowed by Qur'anic moral virtues and therefore
permit themselves to be ruled by their own desires. This, in turn,
distances them from reason and encourages unbalanced behaviour. In
such situations, Muslims' guide is the Qur'an. In the Qur'an, God
warns us that worldly passions will always encourage one to evil and
that Shaytan will oblige people to behave inconsistently, irrationally
and emotionally, as dictated by their desires. He also imparts the
glad tidings that people who adopt the Qur'an as their guide in the
face of this, however, and who act according to the stirring of their
consciences, will achieve the ideal character and enjoy superiority in
both this world and the hereafter.
A believer achieves this strong and superior character by following
the path shown by God. Since the Qur'an is his guide, his behaviour
and reactions in the face of events are always shaped according to
Qur'anic moral values. How he will behave, his perspective on events
and the logic he adopts will never come as a surprise to those around
him. His mind, conscience, behaviour and speech always reflect the
stability required by Qur'anic virtue, and his nature is therefore
always to be trusted.
II. Acting Emotionally
Emotionality is not regarded as undesirable in societies oblivious to
religious moral values. Indeed, it is generally believed that a
certain amount of emotionality in a person's make-up is an important
attribute. According to that way of thinking, the behaviour caused by
emotionality is human feelings that need to be let out. For that
reason, character defects stemming from emotionality, such as
"touchiness, dissatisfaction, sulking, weeping, an introverted state
of mind, apathy, jealousy or anger," are encouraged by suggesting they
are "emotions representing human nature." Nothing could be more wrong,
however.
Emotionality that is widespread in societies oblivious to the moral
values of the Qur'an lead to people having weak characters. Since
people react to events in the light of their own emotions, they tend
to act irrationally. They become unable to think logically and
accurately or to make sound deductions. And this leads to people being
unpredictable and inflicting material and psychological damage on
themselves and those around them.
However, since the Qur'an rules the whole of a believer's life and
character, he possesses the most accurate knowledge regarding the
promptings of one's passions and how to combat it. He knows that
emotionality clouds one's reason, prevents one thinking straight and
seeing the truth, and also makes one weak and lacking in resistance.
He is also aware that the sentimentality also equated with this weak
character, grieving, weeping, ranting and raving, anger, jealousy and
self-centredness, are all traits that will ill-befit him. That is
because all such behaviour must be avoided as it is displeasing to
God.
The Solution to an Unpredictable Character is Love of God
Sincere devotion to God, genuine submission, and knowing that
everything transpires under His control and that everything is for the
best prevent one falling prey to one's emotions and behaving badly.
Because of his powerful love and fear of God, the believer
scrupulously avoids all forms of behaviour that might result from
emotionality. He aims, with all his behaviour, character and lofty
virtues to be a role model for others, as revealed by God in the
Qur'an (Surah Furqan, 74). And by God's leave, this endows him with a
strong character that never collapses under any circumstances.
Believers regulate their whole lives according to Qur'anic moral
virtues. They know that avoiding the defects of personality prevalent
in societies devoid of faith and exhibiting a strong character will
serve as a role model for others and behave in complete awareness of
that responsibility. As God reveals in the Qur'an in the words"It is
the people who are safe-guarded from the avarice of their own selves
who are successful"(Surat al-Hashr, 9), they strive to cleanse their
desires of evil. God has revealed that in return for that effort
believers will enjoy peace, blessings and happiness in this world and
the hereafter:"What is with you runs out but what is with Allah goes
on for ever. Those who were steadfast will be recompensed according to
the best of what they did. Anyone who acts rightly, male or female,
being a believer, We will give them a good life and We will recompense
them according to the best of what they did."(Surat an-Nahl, 96-97)
All the negative behaviour manifesting an unpredictable state of mind
stem from defects of faith and a failure to fully comprehend certain
realities.
People who are prone to enormous distress, who fall prey to weeping or
rage or jealousy, or who sulk in silence and become totally
introverted are unaware of God's might, that He has created all things
with goodness, wisdom and justice, that He can perform whatever He
wishes whenever He wishes, and that He will heed people's prayers.
All sorrow, anger and jealousy stem from weakness of faith and errors
originating from that perspective.
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