What Is the Name of the Fire That Ignites Inside a Human Being?
Introduction: Why Does Anger Suddenly Start Speaking?
When a person becomes angry, something strange happens.
It is as if another voice awakens inside them.
This voice does not speak calmly.
It does not wait.
It does not think.
It does not ask questions.
It simply commands:
“Speak.”
“Hit.”
“Break.”
“Hurt.”
And after the anger passes, the person often asks themselves the same question:
“Why did I do that?”
Inside this question there is regret.
But there is also confusion:
“Was that really me?”
Religions, philosophy, and psychology have been dealing with this question for centuries.
What is anger?
Where does it come from?
Who speaks at that moment?
Is it Satan?
The ego (nafs)?
Or the suppressed wounds of the human soul?
This article does not label anger merely as a “bad trait.”
On the contrary, it examines it as a dangerous yet real gateway into the inner world of the human being.
1. What Is Anger: A Feeling, a Force, or a Test?
At first glance, anger is a feeling.
But it is different from other emotions.
Fear makes a person retreat.
Sadness turns them inward.
Love softens.
Anger, however, pushes forward.
Anger:
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knows no boundaries,
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silences reason,
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pushes conscience aside,
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drives action without thinking of consequences.
For this reason, anger is the most dangerous emotion.
Because it pulls a person out of themselves.
In Islamic thought, anger is:
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neither entirely Satan,
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nor entirely a sin.
It is a test.
Just as a knife can cut bread or kill a human being, anger too:
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can become justice when it rises against injustice,
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but turns into disaster when it serves the ego.
2. What Does “the Language of Satan” Mean?
Religion often associates anger with Satan.
But this connection is not superficial—it is psychological and spiritual.
What does Satan do?
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He does not create new thoughts.
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He inflames what already exists inside.
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He finds the weakest point.
In moments of anger:
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pride swells,
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the wounded ego begins to speak,
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the voice of “I am right” grows louder.
Satan whispers:
“Do not stay silent.”
“Do not swallow this insult.”
“You are weak if you do not respond.”
This whisper becomes the language of anger.
So anger itself is not Satan.
But anger is the most convenient microphone for Satan.
3. How Does the Voice of the Ego (Nafs) Speak?
The nafs is the sense of “I.”
It wants to survive.
It wants to protect itself.
It wants to be superior.
In anger, the nafs says:
“I was humiliated.”
“I was treated unfairly.”
“I cannot remain silent.”
The danger here is this:
The nafs interprets every hurt as injustice.
But not every hurt is injustice.
Sometimes:
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the ego is wounded,
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pride is shaken,
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a person confronts the truth.
The nafs does not accept this.
It turns anger into a shield.
4. Anger and the Illusion of Being Right
The most frightening aspect of anger is this:
It gives a person the feeling of being right.
An angry person:
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thinks they are defending themselves,
but in reality they are attacking; -
believes they are seeking justice,
but are actually protecting their ego.
That is why religion teaches not to silence anger,
but to control it.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“The strong person is not the one who defeats others,
but the one who controls himself when angry.”
This statement reveals the essence of anger:
Anger is not strength.
Anger is the test of strength.
5. Why Is Anger So Fast?
Anger arises without thinking because it comes from the oldest parts of the brain.
There is no logic there.
There is survival instinct.
In moments of anger:
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the heart rate increases,
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breathing changes,
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the body enters fight mode.
It is difficult to pray at that moment.
But that is exactly when prayer is most needed.
Religion prescribes remedies against anger:
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silence,
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changing one’s environment,
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performing ablution,
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pausing.
They may seem simple,
but they are powerful psychological acts that break the dominance of the ego.
6. Is There Such a Thing as Righteous Anger?
Yes.
But it is very rare.
Righteous anger:
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is not for oneself,
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but for others;
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it does not defend ego,
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it defends justice.
Righteous anger is calm.
It does not shout.
It does not humiliate.
It does not seek revenge.
If anger contains:
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insult,
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hatred,
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a sense of superiority,
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pleasure,
then it is the anger of the ego.
7. Why Does Emptiness Remain After Anger Passes?
Because anger never brings peace.
Anger:
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gives momentary release,
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but creates long-term regret.
Words spoken in anger:
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cannot be taken back,
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but must be carried within.
This creates cracks in the soul.
That is why religion elevates forgiveness.
Because forgiveness:
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does not free the other person,
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it frees the individual from their own anger.
8. Why Has Anger Increased in the Modern Age?
Because people today live:
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more lonely,
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more tense,
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more comparative,
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more fearful lives.
Social media:
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normalizes anger,
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rewards aggression,
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portrays calmness as weakness.
In such an environment, the ego is nourished.
And Satan remains silent—
because the work is already being done.
9. Should Anger Be Suppressed or Recognized?
Suppressing anger is dangerous.
Because suppressed anger eventually explodes.
Religion does not deny anger.
It says:
“Recognize it. Restrain it. Redirect it.”
Recognizing anger means recognizing one’s weakness.
It means saying, “I can make mistakes too.”
And that is the beginning of faith.
Conclusion: Who Speaks in Moments of Anger?
In moments of anger, the speaker may be:
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the ego → and the person destroys;
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Satan whispering → and the person regrets;
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faith silent → and the person is lost.
But if faith is awake:
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anger falls silent,
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the tongue calms,
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the person protects themselves.
Anger can be the language of Satan,
but only when the ego turns on the microphone.
If a person learns how to turn that microphone off,
anger will no longer control them.