Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (15/299)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

Anger is an emotional reaction that arises in the soul because of something that provokes it by going against one’s desires. You may see a man’s neck veins swell, his eyes and face redden, his hair stand on end, and at times he may lose awareness. Indeed, an angry person may reach such a state that he does not know whether he is in heaven or on earth, nor does he know what he is saying.

Anger is of three types: its extreme, its beginning, and its middle stage. Its beginning causes no harm, for hardly any person is entirely free of it. As for its extreme, a person who reaches it is not held accountable for any statement he makes. The middle stage, however, is a matter over which the scholars differ.

Let us give an example: a man who divorces his wife while angry. If it occurs at the beginning of his anger, then his divorce takes effect and is binding. If it occurs at its extreme, then his divorce does not take effect and is not binding. These are two points upon which there is agreement. But if it occurs during the middle stage of anger, the scholars have two well-known views. The sounder of them is that the divorce does not take effect, because such an angry man feels within himself something that compels and drives him to divorce, even though he knows what he is saying. The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no divorce under compulsion.” (1)

Thus, the anger in which it is prohibited for a judge to issue judgment is the extreme and the middle stage. The evidence is the Prophet’s ﷺ saying: “None of you should judge between two people while angry.” (2) The reason is that an angry person cannot fully comprehend the case,

(1) Reported by Imam Ahmad (6:276), Abu Dawud, Book of Divorce, chapter: “Divorce Issued in Error” (2193), and Ibn Majah, Book of Divorce, chapter: “The Divorce of One Who Is Coerced or Forgetful” (2046), on the authority of Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her. See: al-Talkhis (1598) and al-Irwa (2047). (2) Reported by al-Bukhari, Book of Judicial Rulings, chapter: “May a Judge Pass Judgment or Issue a Fatwa While Angry?” (7158), and Muslim, Book of Judicial Rulings, chapter: “The Dislike of a Judge Passing Judgment While Angry” (1717), on the authority of Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him.

والغضب انفعال يحدث للنفس بسبب ما يثير من مخالفة الهوى، فتجد الرجل تنتفخ أوداجه، وتحمر عيناه ووجهه، ويقف شعره، ويفقد وعيه أحياناً، إذ تصل الحال بالغضبان أحياناً حتى لا يدري أفي السماء هو أم في الأرض؟ ولا يدري ما يتكلم به. والغضب ثلاثة أقسام: غاية، وابتداء، ووسط، فالابتداء لا يضر؛ لأنه ما من إنسان يخلو منه إلا نادراً، والغاية لا حكم لمن اتصف به في أي قول يقوله، والوسط محل خلاف بين العلماء. ولنضرب لذلك مثلاً برجل طلق وهو غضبان، فإن كان من أول الغضب فطلاقه واقع نافذ، وإن كان في غايته، فطلاقه غير واقع، ولا نافذ، وهذان موضعان متفق عليهما، وإن كان في وسط الغضب فللعلماء في ذلك قولان مشهوران، أصحهما أن الطلاق لا يقع؛ لأن هذا الرجل الغضبان يجد في نفسه شيئاً يرغمه، ويضطره إلى أن يطلق، مع أنه يدري ما يقول، وقد جاء الحديث عن النبي ﷺ: «لا طلاق في إغلاق» (١). فالغضب الذي يحرم على القاضي أن يقضي فيه هو الغاية والوسط، والدليل قول النبي ﷺ: «لا يحكم أحد بين اثنين وهو غضبان» (٢)، والتعليل أن الغضبان لا يتصور القضية تصوراً تاماً،

(١) أخرجه الإمام أحمد (٦/ ٢٧٦)، وأبو داود في الطلاق/ باب في الطلاق على غلط (٢١٩٣)، وابن ماجه في الطلاق/ باب طلاق المكره والناسي (٢٠٤٦) عن عائشة ﵂. انظر: التلخيص (١٥٩٨)، والإرواء (٢٠٤٧). (٢) أخرجه البخاري في الأحكام/ باب هل يقضي القاضي أو يفتي وهو غضبان؟ (٧١٥٨)، ومسلم في الأقضية/ باب كراهة قضاء القاضي وهو غضبان (١٧١٧) عن أبي بكرة ﵁.