A. (Dr. Zakir): A person while fasting, he should not get angry. Because Allah سبحانه و تعالى says in the Qur’an,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
“O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint”
(SURAH AL-BAQARAH, CHAPTER 2, VERSE 183)
It says لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ – so that you may learn self control. So in fact, if you’re fasting, all the more reason you should not get angry. It can’t be a valid excuse that because I’m hungry, because I’m tired, I can get angry. It is the opposite. And our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said,
“…Fasting is a shield or protection from the fire and from committing sins. If one of you is fasting, he should avoid sexual relation with his wife and quarreling, and if somebody should fight or quarrel with him, he should say, ‘I am fasting.’…”
(SAHEEH AL-BUKHARI, VOLUME 3, BOOK OF FASTING, HADITH 1904)
And the same message is repeated where our beloved Prophet ﷺ said,
“Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, ‘I am fasting’…”
(SAHEEH AL-BUKHARI, VOLUME 3, BOOK OF FASTING, HADITH 1894)
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad 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.”
(SAHEEH AL-BUKHARI, VOLUME 8, THE BOOK OF MANNERS, HADITH 6114)
So, actually fasting shows us a way how to control ourselves. And as you rightly said, it’s somewhat like management on how to control your anger.
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