Why are people aggressive?

Aggression is born of selfishness and envy. It begins when people fear that others might take away or share in what they have, whether possessions or relationships.

Aggression does not come out of nowhere. It has a root, and that root lies within the human being. It is selfishness and envy. Someone who thinks only of himself quickly sees others as a threat.

The pattern is almost always the same. A person has something that matters to him. It might be money, a place in society or a close relationship. Now he fears that someone else might share in it or take it away. If he gives in to that fear, he becomes hostile, and aggression begins.

What is true on a small scale is also true on a large one. In international politics exactly the same thing often happens. States fear that others might share in their prosperity or their influence, and so they turn to pressure and force. Many conflicts between nations have their origin here.

Islam therefore addresses the root. The first verse above forbids coveting what God has given others in greater measure. The second calls successful the one who is saved from the covetousness of his own soul. Whoever is content with what he has and is glad for others to have theirs loses the reason for hostility.

The two hadith above show the way in daily life. People should neither envy nor hate one another. And true strength is shown not by the one who overpowers others, but by the one who controls himself when anger rises within him.