Sahih Bukhari 6115: Anger and Seeking Refuge From Satan
Some deceivers quote the hadith of two men arguing in front of the Prophet ﷺ as if it is an accusation against the Companions. This is a weak and careless reading. The narration does not say that the man was one of the constant Companions of the Prophet ﷺ, and the Prophet’s advice itself exposes the spiritual cause behind uncontrolled anger.
The Hadith of Two Men Arguing
Two men were arguing in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ while we were sitting with him, and one of them was insulting his companion angrily, his face turning red.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I know a word which, if he were to say it, what he is feeling would go away. If he were to say: I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan.”
They said to the man:
“Do you not hear what the Prophet is saying?”
He said:
“I am not mad.”
Narrator: Sulayman ibn Sard
Source: Sahih Al-Bukhari
Page or number: 6115
Reference: http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/Display.asp?Doc=0&Rec=9135
First Response: The Hadith Is About Anger, Not an Attack on the Companions
The forger mentioned the hadith that two men were insulting each other in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ while the Companions were sitting with him. One of them insulted his companion while angry, and his face had turned red.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“I know a word, if he said it, what he is feeling would go away: I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan.”
Then some people said to the angry man:
“Do you not hear what the Prophet ﷺ is saying?”
He replied:
“I am not crazy.”
The point of the narration is not to slander the Companions. The point is to teach that anger is from Satan and that seeking refuge in Allah is the remedy.
Second Response: The Man Did Not Reply Directly to the Prophet ﷺ
The man did not respond directly to the Prophet ﷺ. Rather, he responded to the person who reminded him of the Prophet’s advice.
So when he said:
“I am not crazy.”
This was directed at the one advising him, not a direct reply to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
This does not make the statement good, but it kills the exaggerated claim of the mudallis who tries to turn the narration into an attack on the Companions.
Third Response: The Narration Separates the Two Men From the Sitting Companions
The hadith itself, which the mudallis narrated, says that two men quarrelled in front of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. It does not mention that they were among the constant Companions of the Prophet ﷺ.
Rather, the wording differentiates between the two men and the Companions.
The narration says: “Two men were arguing,” then says: “while we were sitting with him.” This separates the two disputing men from the group of Companions sitting with the Prophet ﷺ.
So the forger’s accusation is built on an assumption that the narration itself does not state.
Fourth Response: The Scholars Explained the Man’s Ignorance
Perhaps he was one of the rude Arabs, or it is said that perhaps he was a disbeliever or a hypocrite, or the intensity of his anger took him out of the realm of moderation, such that the advisor rebuked him.
Abu Dawud narrated a hadith from the Prophet ﷺ on the authority of Atiyah al-Sa’di, that anger is from Satan.
This explanation makes the matter obvious. The man misunderstood the Prophet’s advice and thought that being told to seek refuge from Satan meant he was being accused of insanity.
That is ignorance, not an indictment of the Companions.
Fifth Response: The Hadith Confirms the Prophet’s Teaching About Insults
The hadith contains evidence for the truthfulness of the Prophet ﷺ in his teaching about those who insult one another.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Allah has revealed to me that you should be humble so that no one transgresses against another, nor one boasts over another.”
So I said:
“O Messenger of God! Tell me, if a man insults me in a gathering, and they are less than me, and I respond to him, is there any blame on me for that?”
He said:
“Those who insult each other are two devils who argue and lie.”
This confirms the meaning of the first hadith. Uncontrolled anger, insults, and verbal abuse are Satanic behavior. The Prophet ﷺ was correcting that disease.
The hadith of two men insulting each other before the Prophet ﷺ is not an accusation against the Companions. The narration does not establish that the angry man was one of the constant Companions, and it even distinguishes between the two arguing men and the Companions sitting with the Prophet ﷺ. The actual lesson is that anger is from Satan, seeking refuge in Allah removes it, and those who insult one another behave like devils arguing and lying. The forger has again confused prophetic correction with an attack on the generation of Islam.