The dua for anger in Islam is "a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim" (أعوذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم), which means "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast." The Prophet ﷺ said this sentence would calm a man whose face had gone red with anger (Sahih al-Bukhari 6115). This post explains that hadith, why the angry man refused the remedy, and how to make the words your first response.
In short
The sentence to say when angry is "a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim", "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast."
The Prophet ﷺ taught it while two men were insulting each other in front of him, and said it would make the anger go away.
The angry man refused it, answering "I am not mad", which shows how anger resists the very help that would cool it.
The words are easiest to use early, under your breath if needed, before your next sentence.
It comes at the worst moment. Someone has said the thing, the one that lands exactly where it hurts, and you can feel the heat climb up your neck.
Somebody nearby says, gently, "Take a breath." And you hear yourself snap, "I'm fine."
The same exchange once happened in front of the Prophet ﷺ, and the way it went wrong is the most useful part of the story.
What did the Prophet ﷺ say to say when you are angry?
The Prophet ﷺ named the sentence that calms anger: "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast." He named it in the middle of a real quarrel, as Sulaiman ibn Surad reports:
Two men abused each other in front of the Prophet (ﷺ) while we were sitting with him. One of the two abused his companion furiously and his face became red. The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'I know a word (sentence) the saying of which will cause him to relax if this man says it. Only if he said, "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast."' So they said to that (furious) man, 'Don't you hear what the Prophet (ﷺ) is saying?' He said, 'I am not mad.'
Al-Bukhari records the same incident in a second place, where the man's reply reads "Am I mad?" and the Prophet ﷺ adds that all of his anger would go away if he said it (Sahih al-Bukhari 3282, sahih).
The Prophet ﷺ did not lecture either man about manners. He named a cure, in one sentence, and offered it to the person who needed it most.
Why did the angry man refuse it?
The angry man refused because, to a furious mind, being told to seek refuge from Satan sounded like being told he had lost his reason. "I am not mad" is anger defending itself.
This is the part of the hadith that rarely gets told. Anger hears every offer of help as an insult, and refuses it before it has been tried.
That is the ego at work. In a fight, the ego's first job is to protect our image, and the fastest way to protect it is to deny there is anything to fix.
You will recognise the modern forms:
Someone says "take a breath", and you hear "you're out of control".
Someone suggests stepping away, and it lands as an accusation.
Someone asks if you're okay, and gets a sharp "I'm fine".
Each one is the same reply the man gave in Madinah.
Why seek refuge from Satan when you are angry?
Seeking refuge is the Qur'an's own instruction for the moment a harmful impulse arrives. Allah says:
And if an evil suggestion comes to you from Satan, then seek refuge in Allāh. Indeed, He is Hearing and Knowing.
Scholars read this hadith alongside that verse. When the heat rises, the push to say the cruel thing, or to win at any cost, is exactly the kind of suggestion the verse describes. The sentence hands the moment to Allah, who hears you say it and knows what you are struggling with.
Two clarifications keep this in proportion:
Seeking refuge does not excuse what we say in anger. We remain responsible for our words and actions. The words help us stay in control of it, which is what the Prophet ﷺ praised: "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" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6114, sahih).
Saying it passes no verdict on your sanity. A believer turning to Allah is doing what every believer does many times a day.
When should you say it?
Say it early, at the first sign of heat, before you have decided whether you have a right to be angry. That is the moment the man in the hadith let pass.
Anger has a short window at the start, when a sentence can still change its course. Once the argument is running, it gets much harder to stop and say anything other than the next sharp line. Our piece on how long a feeling lasts when we stop feeding it makes a related point about patience: the first moment matters most.
You do not have to say it loudly. Under your breath is enough. The point is to say it before your next sentence, not after the damage.
Is seeking refuge the only thing to do when angry?
No. Seeking refuge is the first response the Prophet ﷺ named in this hadith, and the Sunnah gives other steps too, such as staying quiet and changing your position.
Our longer guide, Mastering Anger in Islam, walks through them. For anger at home, where it tends to come out at the people we love most, see The Tone You Would Never Use on a Stranger.
This post stays with one sentence on purpose. A remedy you can remember when your face is hot is worth more than a list you will forget.
How to make it your first response today
Learn the words: a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim. Say them slowly now, while you are calm, until they come without effort.
Notice where anger usually starts for you: a tone of voice, a message, traffic, a child who will not listen. That moment is your cue.
At the first heat, say the words, under your breath if you must, and only then decide what to say out loud.
If someone you trust says "take a breath", treat it as the Companions' message to the man in Madinah, and take it.
Once it has passed, ask Allah to make you among those who control themselves in anger.
The man in the hadith was one sentence away from calm and turned it down. You can take the sentence he refused, and use it the next time your face goes hot.
Frequently asked questions
What is the dua for anger in Islam?
The dua for anger in Islam is "a'udhu billahi min ash-shaytan ir-rajim", meaning "I seek refuge with Allah from Satan, the outcast." The Prophet ﷺ said that if an angry man said it, his anger would go away (Sahih al-Bukhari 3282 and 6115).
Is it sunnah to say a'udhu billah when angry?
Yes. The Prophet ﷺ taught this sentence specifically for a person overcome by anger, during a real quarrel in front of him. It also follows the Qur'an's instruction to seek refuge in Allah when an evil suggestion from Satan comes (Qur'an 7:200).
What did the Prophet ﷺ say about controlling anger?
He 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" (Sahih al-Bukhari 6114). Strength in Islam is self-control at the moment it is hardest.
Why did the man say "I am not mad"?
He took the advice to seek refuge from Satan as a suggestion that he had lost his mind, so he refused it. His reply shows how anger can blind a person to their own state, which is why the remedy is easiest to use early.
Keep reading
Sources
Sahih al-Bukhari 6115 (sahih)
Sahih al-Bukhari 3282 (sahih)
Sahih al-Bukhari 6114 (sahih)
Qur'an 7:200, Saheeh International