1314 – Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Whoever restrains his anger, Allah will restrain His punishment from him.” It was recorded by al-Ṭabarānī in al-Awsat (1), and it has a corroborating chain from Ibn ʿUmar preserved by Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (2).

Degree of the ḥadith
Its chain of transmission is weak.
• al-Haythamī said: It was narrated by Abū Yaʿlā, and in its chain is al-Rabīʿ ibn Sulaymān al-Azdī, who is weak.
• Ibn Kathīr stated in his Tafsīr (1/406): “This is a singular report whose chain is questionable.”

Vocabulary
• kaffa: the verb kaffa – yakuffu, kaffan means “to prevent, to withhold”; here it refers to a person’s preventing himself when angered.

Points derived from the ḥadith

1. Anger is the boiling of the heart and the surge of the soul in pursuit of revenge. When the provocations of anger arise, it becomes difficult for a person to restrain, subdue, and withhold himself.
2. Accordingly, whoever struggles against his own self and suppresses it is granted a tremendous reward commensurate with his deed: Allah will withhold His punishment from him on the Day of Resurrection. Undoubtedly, this is a great recompense, for whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has indeed triumphed.