‘“Abu Dharr was taking his camels to drink at a trough that he owned, when some other people came along and said to one another: “Who can compete with Abu Dharr in bringing animals to drink and make his hair stand on end?”

 

A man said: “I can.” So, he brought his animals and competed with Abu Dharr and ended up breaking the trough. Abu Dharr was standing when he saw this, so, he sat down, then he laid down. Someone asked him: “O Abu Dharr, why did you sit down then lie down?”

 

He said: “The Messenger of Allah (The Prophet Muhammad) said: “If any of you becomes angry and he is standing, let him sit down, so that his anger will go away. If it does not go away, let him lie down.”

 

[Reported in the 'Musnad' of Ahmad (5/152) and 'Sahih al-Jami' (694)]

 

With advances in science being made every day, it’s no wonder that the parallels with religion appear to only increase. There are two ways to think about science: you can be a theist, believing that behind the veil of randomness lurks an active, loving God, or you can be a materialist, for whom everything is matter and energy interacting within space and time. Whichever metaphysical club you belong to, reports by the New Scientist and The Telegraph this month, are definitely food for thought this Ramadan. The article below showcases scientific claims to support the Prophet Muhammad’s prescription for those overwhelmed by anger: to subdue one’s anger by lying down.

 

Insults Are Better Taken Lying Down

Taking insults lying down may hurt your pride but it is less likely to make you angry, claim scientists.

Research showed that those who took personal insults while upright exhibited brain activity linked to attacking but this urge disappeared when they took the same insults lying down.

Eddie Harmon-Jones, a cognitive scientist who led the study at Texas A&M University, said: "In the upright or leaning forward state one might be more likely to attack.

"Maybe in the reclining state you're more likely to brood."

Those who took part in the study were not warned that they were participating in an anger exercise. The researchers asked them to pick something which made them cross, such as abortion or public smoking, and write a brief essay on their stance.

They were then hooked up to a machine which measures brain activity and told that a person in an adjacent room would evaluate the essay.

Then the students chosen for the study heard a voice recording of someone disparaging the intelligence, likeability and logical skills of the essays.

Volunteers who heard these insults while on their backs felt as angry as volunteers who were upright. However, measurements showed that in upright volunteers, a reaction in the brain that has been linked to anger and the likelihood of retaliating.

Those who received their insults while lying down, however, did not experience the same angry brain reaction.

The scientists now think that lying down could affect how the brain handles other emotions, such as desire and happiness.

Peter Bandettini, a brain imager at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, said: "It never occurred to me that body position might influence behavioural or neuronal activity in the context of aggression - but it makes sense.

"I do think that this is somewhat specialised to things like aggression or anger."

The research was published in the latest edition of the journal Psychological Science.

By Richard Alleyne, Science Correspondent

Published: 1:50PM BST 12 Aug 2009

[Source]