It is clearly reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) only got angry over something that pertains to religion. He was never seen angry over a personal matter. But when it was a question of belief or relating to some religious aspect, he could be angry, and his anger showed in his face.
An authentic Hadith reported by Abu Masoud says: “A man said to the Prophet: ‘By God, I come late to the dawn prayer because of this person who takes too long in prayer.’ I never saw the Prophet delivering an admonition and feeling angrier than I saw him then. He then said: ‘Some of you turn people away. Anyone of you who leads congregational prayer should keep it short, for the congregation may include people who are weak, old and who have urgent business.’” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, Ibn Majah and others).
This is just an example of religious matters that made the Prophet angry. His anger in this case was caused by one of his companions who used to lead the prayers in his local mosque. He must have been a man of knowledge who knew a good portion of the Qur’an to be chosen to lead the prayer. Yet the Prophet describes people who let their congregational prayer take a long time as ones who turn people away from their worship. He was dealing with a man who told him frankly that he came late to the prayer because the imam made it too long. The Prophet’s anger was clearly visible in his face. He then explains why the imam should keep his prayers short. His congregation will inevitably include people who cannot stand a long time in prayer. Such people may be in trouble if they have to keep up with the imam. Take an ill or an elderly person who cannot stand too long, or someone with a pressing need. Such people will not be comfortable in their prayer, and will not feel its refreshing and heartening effect. Thus the prayer will not have accomplished its purpose of maintaining a sound relationship between worshipper and God. It is useful to mention here that on another occasion the Prophet told one of his companions who led the prayer in his local area to read surahs of about 10 or 12 lines. This is of medium length among shorter surahs. They are ideal so that the prayer is neither rushed nor too long.
We note that the reporter of this Hadith mentions that he never saw the Prophet as angry as on this occasion, which suggests that anger could be seen in the Prophet’s face. In fact several Hadiths mention that when the Prophet was angry, his face would become red in color.
Anas reports: “The Prophet once saw a spot of phlegm at the point marking the direction of prayer in the mosque. He was distressed as a result and it was clear in his face. He then stood up and rubbed it off with his hand. He then said: ‘When any of you stands up to pray, he is addressing his Lord, or indeed his Lord stands between him and the qiblah, (i.e. the direction of prayer). Therefore, let no one spit toward the qiblah, but rather to his left or under his feet.’ He then held the edge of his robe and spat in it, and then folded it and said: ‘Or better he should do like I did.’” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Majah and others).
The important point to make here is that mosques should always be kept clean. They must not be left dirty so as to turn people away from coming to them and joining prayers in them. The Prophet was distressed at finding that someone had spat toward the qiblah, but he did not fly into a temper as a result. He simply cleaned the place with his own hand and taught people what to do in such situations. The first thing he said must always be present in our minds when we pray. Prayer is a link between worshipper and God. Therefore we must give it the respect it deserves and behave in what fits with such link.
Yet the Prophet recognized that some people might need to spit and he taught them what to do. We need to remember that the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah was neither tiled nor furnished with carpets or rugs. Its floor was covered with sand and stone. Some of the Prophet’s companions came from desert areas and it was normal for them to spit on the ground. Since the floor of the mosque was the same as the ground outside, any of them might be excused if he felt that he could spit there. Hence, the Prophet told them what to do. In some other versions of this Hadith, the Prophet is quoted to have said: “Spitting in the mosque is sinful and its atonement is to bury it.”
Today, when our mosques are well taken care of in the way they are built and furnished, to spit in the mosque or to throw any type of dirt is certainly very wrong. It is an affront to the mosque. One Hadith mentions, “What the eye dislikes, the mosque dislikes.” This is a definitive statement making clear that we should always maintain a high degree of cleanliness and fine appearance in all mosques. Hence, we do not wonder when we hear that Imam Abu Haneefah once saw a man shaking the dust off his shoes inside the mosque, which had a sandy floor. He said to him: “Had you rubbed your beard with your shoes, that would have been better for you.” He wanted him to realize that his action was far from acceptable.
The Prophet showed his companions that to spit in one’s own clothes and to fold it over was better than spitting inside the mosque, even to one’s left or under one’s feet. His action, however, should not be taken as indicating the most appropriate thing. We need to remember that at the time people did not carry handkerchiefs or similar articles. They were too poor to have such things. Yet the Prophet wanted them to understand that it was better to dirty their clothes than to let dirt fall inside the mosque. Of course the Prophet washed off his robe after the prayer, and this is what was to be expected from anyone who needed to do the same, but it was important for them to realize that the mosque should be kept very clean at all times.
