Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

True strength is in the ability to control anger

muslim:2609aYaḥyá b. Yaḥyá And ʿAbd al-Aʿlá b. Ḥammād > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab > Abū Hurayrah

that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A strong person is not ˹the one who is able to do˺ wrestling, in fact, a strong person is the one who controls himself at ˹the time˺ of anger/rage."  

مسلم:٢٦٠٩aحَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى وَعَبْدُ الأَعْلَى بْنُ حَمَّادٍ قَالاَ كِلاَهُمَا؛ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ؛ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ؛ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ؛ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ «لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ۔»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Mālik, Aḥmad, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Bayhaqī, Suyūṭī

True strength is in self-control

bukhari:6114ʿAbdullāh b. Yūsuf > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab > Abū Hurayrah

the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger."  

البخاري:٦١١٤حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ: «لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ۔»  

muslim:2609bḤājib b. al-Walīd > Muḥammad b. Ḥarb > al-Zubaydī > al-Zuhrī > Ḥumayd b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Abū Hurayrah

I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: One is not strong because of one's wrestling skillfully. They said: Messenger of Allah, then who is strong? He said: He who controls his anger when he is in a fit of rage.  

مسلم:٢٦٠٩bحَدَّثَنَا حَاجِبُ بْنُ الْوَلِيدِ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ عَنِ الزُّبَيْدِيِّ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ أَخْبَرَنِي حُمَيْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ قَالُوا فَالشَّدِيدُ أَيُّمَ هُوَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ  

malik:47-12Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyab > Abū Hurayrah

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab from Said ibn al- Musayyab from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry."  

مالك:٤٧-١٢وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ  

ahmad:7640ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Maʿmar And ʿAbd al-Aʿlá > Maʿmar > al-Zuhrī > Ḥumayd b. ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Abū Hurayrah

I heard Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying: One is not strong because of one's wrestling skillfully. They said: Messenger of Allah, then who is strong? He said: He who controls his anger when he is in a fit of rage. (Using translation from Muslim 2609b)   

أحمد:٧٦٤٠حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا مَعْمَرٌ وَعَبْدُ الْأَعْلَى عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ حُمَيْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ قَالُوا فَمَنِ الشَّدِيدُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ؟ قَالَ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ  

ahmad:7219ʿAbd al-Raḥman > Mālik > al-Zuhrī > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib > Abū Hurayrah

that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A strong person is not ˹the one who is able to do˺ wrestling, in fact, a strong person is the one who controls himself at ˹the time˺ of anger/rage." (Using translation from Muslim 2609a)   

أحمد:٧٢١٩حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّدِيدَ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ  

ahmad:10702Rawḥ > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib > Abū Hurayrah

that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "A strong person is not ˹the one who is able to do˺ wrestling, in fact, a strong person is the one who controls himself at ˹the time˺ of anger/rage." (Using translation from Muslim 2609a)  

أحمد:١٠٧٠٢حَدَّثَنَا رَوْحٌ حَدَّثَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّدِيدَ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ  

nasai-kubra:10154Ibn al-Qāsim > Mālik > Ibn Shihāb > Saʿīd > Abū Hurayrah

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." (Using translation from Bukhārī 6114)   

الكبرى للنسائي:١٠١٥٤الْحَارِثُ بْنُ مِسْكِينٍ قِرَاءَةً عَلَيْهِ عَنِ ابْنِ الْقَاسِمِ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ عَنْ سَعِيدٍ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ «لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ إِنَّمَا الشَّدِيدُ الَّذِي يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ» خَالَفَهُ شُعَيْبٌ وَمَعْمَرٌ  

bayhaqi:21126Abū al-Ḥasan Muḥammad b. al-Ḥusayn b. Dāwud al-ʿAlawī Imlāʾ > ʿAbdullāh b. Muḥammad b. al-Ḥasan b. al-Sharqī > Muḥammad b. Yaḥyá al-Dhuhlī > ʿAbd al-Raḥman b. Mahdī > Mālik b. Anas > al-Zuhrī > Saʿīd b. al-Musayyib > Abū Hurayrah

[Machine] Narrated by Malik, the Prophet ﷺ said, "The strong person is not the one who can wrestle others down. Rather, the strong person is the one who can control themselves when they are angry." It is recorded in Sahih Bukhari from the hadith of Malik.  

البيهقي:٢١١٢٦حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْحَسَنِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ دَاوُدَ الْعَلَوِيُّ إِمْلَاءً أنبأ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ الشَّرْقِيِّ ثنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الذُّهْلِيُّ ثنا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ عَنْ مَالِكِ بْنِ أَنَسٍ عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيِّبِ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ؓ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ لَيْسَ الشَّدِيدُ بِالصُّرَعَةِ وَلَكِنَّ الشَّدِيدَ الَّذِيُ يَمْلِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَبِ أَخْرَجَاهُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ مِنْ حَدِيثِ مَالِكٍ  

suyuti:5600a
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السيوطي:٥٦٠٠a

"إِنَّ الشَّدِيدَ كُلَّ الشَّدِيد الَّذِي يَملِكُ نَفْسَهُ عِنْدَ الْغَضَب".  

ابن منده، [هب] البيهقى في شعب الإيمان والخطيب في المتفق عن خصفة أَو ابن خصفة
suyuti:18231a
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السيوطي:١٨٢٣١a

"لَيسَ الشَّديدُ بالصُّرَعَةِ، إنَّمَا الشَّديدُ الَّذي يَمْلكُ نَفْسَهُ عندَ الْغَضَبِ".  

[حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم عن أَبي هريرة، [د] أبو داود عن ابن مسعود