Abstract
In Islamic culture, "Hilm" (forbearance) is a concept closely related to emotion regulation, particularly anger management. This study focuses on the development of a "Hilm" questionnaire within the domain of anger, employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches. In the qualitative phase, using the "conventional qualitative content analysis" method, a conceptual model of "Hilm" was derived from Islamic sources, with an emphasis on anger control. Based on the findings of the qualitative study, a 60-item questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of 824 participants recruited from the social media platforms "Eitaa", "WhatsApp", and "Telegram". Through"exploratory factor analysis (EFA)", four main factors—"Cognitive Management, Forgiveness, Anger, and Thought Rigidity"—were identified. Additionally, three sub-factors emerged for the first factor: "Conscious Control, Non-engagement, and Empathy". Content validity was assessed using the "Content Validity Index (CVI)". To evaluate criterion validity, a measure of "aggression" was simultaneously administered to a subset of 176 participants, confirming the expected relationships. Convergent and divergent validity evidence was provided and deemed satisfactory. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was confirmed with a "Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.959". Reliability at the factor and sub-factor levels was also assessed and validated.

Introduction
Anger is a passionate and energizing emotion for self-defense, yet it can be dangerous and destructive for others. The apparently contradictory nature of this state underscores the critical importance of how anger is regulated (Eisenberg et al., 1994; Reeve, 2018). Individuals who can effectively manage their anger in provoking situations, mobilizing their cognitive resources to generate constructive responses, tend to fare better socially than those who lack this self-regulatory capacity (Denson et al., 2011; Eisenberg et al., 1997; Reeve, 2018). In Islamic culture, "Hilm" (forbearance) is a key concept closely related to emotion regulation, particularly anger management. The Persian translation of Hilm is "Bardbari" (forbearance) (Dehkhoda, 1998). Lexical, ethical, and mystical texts offer various definitions of Hilm. For instance, Ibn Miskawayh (2005) writes: "Hilm is a virtue that gives the soul tranquility and calmness, preventing it from being provoked toward evil, so that anger does not easily move it to rash action." Based on research findings in Islamic texts (Hashemi & Abdi, 2023), Hilm in the domain of anger refers to a psychological capacity whereby a person, when confronted with anger-provoking stimuli, first demonstrates a tendency toward non-arousal, and second, when aroused, possesses a high threshold of self-control, enabling the application of emotion regulation strategies (particularly deliberation and postponement of judgment) to process the situation and ultimately exhibit a wise social response.
Despite numerous studies on the conceptualization of Hilm (Izutsu, 1994; Fallah & Awatifi, 2017; Bazrgar, 2016; Mokhtari, Sheikh Hosseini, & Naziri Sinjani, 2016; Kharqani & Ma'afi, 2015; Rafiei Honar, 2016; Dehghani Firouzabadi, 2016; Asiabani Serenji, 2017; Sharifi Isfahani, 2017; Miri & Faezi, 2017; Bahrami, Abdi, & Khatib, 2019; Maleki Babaheizi, 2021; Hashemi & Abdi, 2023), there is limited research in the applied domain. The first step toward application appears to be the development of a Hilm questionnaire, as such an instrument would be essential for assessing the effectiveness of educational programs and therapeutic interventions related to Hilm. Additionally, from the perspective of Islamic texts, Hilm is a crucial competency for assuming significant social responsibilities, including leadership and governance (Kulayni, 1407 AH, vol. 1, p. 407) and administration and command (Mufid, 1413 AH, p. 82), necessitating a tool to assess this trait. While one previous questionnaire on Hilm exists (Sabouri, 2009), it suffers from limitations including a lack of a clear conceptual model and methodological ambiguities in its validation process. This study aims to develop and validate a Hilm questionnaire grounded in Islamic sources with a robust methodological foundation.

Research Methodology
This study employed both qualitative and quantitative approaches in the instrument development process. In the qualitative phase, conventional content analysis (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005) was used to conceptualize Hilm in Islamic texts and extract its constituent categories, resulting in a conceptual model (Hashemi & Abdi, 2023) that provided the theoretical basis for item generation. Initially, 90 items were developed based on this model. After multiple review sessions and content validity assessment by five experts (using the Content Validity Index), the questionnaire was refined to 60 items.
The final questionnaire was administered online via social media platforms (Eitaa, WhatsApp, and Telegram) to 824 participants (695 women, 129 men) recruited through convenience sampling. Participants' ages ranged from 12 to 70 years. In addition to the Hilm questionnaire, 176 participants also completed an aggression measure (Zahedifar et al., 2000) for criterion validity assessment. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with alpha extraction and oblique rotation was conducted to identify the factor structure. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Content validity, criterion validity, and construct validity (convergent and discriminant evidence) were also evaluated.

Discussion
Factor Structure of the Hilm Questionnaire
Exploratory factor analysis with alpha extraction and oblique rotation yielded a four-factor structure accounting for a significant portion of the variance. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy was 0.967, and Bartlett's test of sphericity was significant (χ² = 21557.647, df = 1770, p < 0.001), confirming the suitability of the data for factor analysis. The four factors identified were: "Cognitive Management" (31 items, α = 0.941), "Anger" (13 items, α = 0.879), "Forgiveness" (8 items, α = 0.825), and "Thought Rigidity" (8 items, α = 0.846). Additionally, the first factor further decomposed into three sub-factors: "Conscious Control" (18 items, α = 0.932), "Non-engagement" (8 items, α = 0.757), and "Empathy" (5 items, α = 0.677). The total scale Cronbach's alpha was 0.959, indicating excellent internal consistency.
**Cognitive Management** represents a psychological capacity enabling individuals to detach from angry feelings and employ cognitive tools to assess the situation and exhibit appropriate behavior. This factor aligns with the psychological construct of "reappraisal" (Barlett & Anderson, 2011), which has been shown to reduce vengefulness and aggressive behavior. The sub-factor "Conscious Control" reflects the ability to maintain awareness of the anger process and take deliberate actions to manage anger. This is consistent with research demonstrating that anger control training reduces overall aggression and aggressive thoughts and behaviors (Valizadeh et al., 2010). "Non-engagement" refers to the capacity to ignore anger-provoking stimuli and avoid involvement with them, which can be understood through the negative correlation between physical aggression and extraversion—extraverted individuals show less sensitivity to environmental stimuli and consequently less engagement with them (Babamiri et al., 2017). "Empathy" involves understanding the situation from the other person's perspective. While the relationship between empathy and aggression has been debated (Vachon et al., 2014), recent research using physiological measures of empathy has found significant negative correlations between cognitive empathy and aggression (Gantiva et al., 2021), supporting the inclusion of this sub-factor.
**Anger** reflects a trait-like tendency to experience frequent and intense anger, which aligns with the psychological construct of "trait anger" (Deffenbacher et al., 1996; Spielberger, 1996). Extensive research has demonstrated that this trait is associated with aggressive behavior and violence (Baron & Richardson, 1994; Rule & Nesdale, 1976). **Forgiveness** corresponds to the psychological construct of forgiveness, which has been shown to be associated with lower levels of aggression (Webb et al., 2012). **Thought Rigidity** refers to the cessation of logical and wise thinking during anger, leading to impulsive and emotionally-driven behaviors. This factor can be related to the "lack of premeditation" component of impulsivity (Bresin, 2019), which increases aggression due to the absence of inhibitory mechanisms. Research has consistently shown that superior cognitive control is associated with lower anger and aggression (Wilkowski et al., 2010).
Validity Evidence
Content validity was assessed through expert review, with 54 out of 60 items (90%) receiving acceptable CVI scores. Face validity was also confirmed by experts. Criterion validity was evaluated by simultaneously administering the aggression questionnaire to a subset of 176 participants. The significant negative correlation between the total Hilm score and total aggression score (r = -0.659, p < 0.01) confirmed the expected divergent validity. Construct validity was supported through multiple lines of evidence: the exploratory factor analysis confirming a coherent factor structure; the alignment of extracted factors with the conceptual model derived from Islamic sources; significant and interpretable differences in Hilm scores based on demographic variables (age, gender, education level, marital status, and religious education); and the meaningful pattern of correlations between Hilm factors and aggression factors. The discriminant validity evidence was particularly strong, as the correlation between the two instruments (r = -0.659) was sufficiently low to indicate that they measure distinct constructs, even for similarly named factors (e.g., "Anger/Anger" correlation = 0.633).
Alignment with the Conceptual Model
The extracted factors demonstrate substantial alignment with the conceptual model of Hilm developed from Islamic sources. "Cognitive Management" corresponds to the "situational processing" component of the model. "Anger" aligns with the "tendency toward non-arousal" characteristic. "Forgiveness" reflects the moral and personality dimensions of "kindness and benevolence." "Thought Rigidity" relates to the "high threshold of self-control." The sub-factor "Conscious Control" corresponds to the application of emotion regulation strategies (deliberation and postponement of judgment); "Non-engagement" reflects the contextual condition of "maintaining dignity and high-mindedness"; and "Empathy" corresponds to one of the contextual conditions in the model. While some components of the conceptual model (e.g., "facilitation of social wisdom" through forgiveness, overlooking, acceptance of repentance, and returning good for evil) may not be fully captured in the current questionnaire, the overall structure provides a robust foundation for further refinement.

Conclusion
This study successfully developed and validated the "Hilm Questionnaire in the Domain of Anger Based on Islamic Sources." The questionnaire demonstrated excellent psychometric properties, including a clear four-factor structure (Cognitive Management, Anger, Forgiveness, and Thought Rigidity) with three sub-factors for the first factor (Conscious Control, Non-engagement, and Empathy). The total scale and all factors showed high internal consistency (α = 0.959 for the total scale). Content validity was confirmed through expert review, and criterion validity was supported through significant negative correlations with aggression. Multiple lines of evidence, including the factor structure, alignment with the conceptual model, and demographic differences, supported construct validity.
The Hilm Questionnaire is a culturally grounded instrument that captures a distinct psychological construct rooted in Islamic ethical and spiritual traditions. It offers a valuable tool for assessing forbearance in the context of anger, with potential applications in clinical assessment, intervention evaluation, and research on emotion regulation and moral psychology. The instrument can be used in counseling settings to identify individuals who may benefit from interventions aimed at enhancing forbearance, and as an outcome measure for evaluating the effectiveness of anger management programs from an Islamic perspective. Future research should further validate the questionnaire on more diverse samples, including clinical populations, and explore its relationship with other psychological constructs such as well-being, interpersonal functioning, and mental health outcomes. The present findings contribute to the growing literature on culturally adapted psychological assessments and highlight the potential for integrating Islamic ethical concepts into contemporary psychological research and practice.