Don’t Curse or Blame Time for
Where You are in Life Right
Now
Don’t
Curse or Blame Time for Where You are in Life Right Now ﻢﻴﺣﺮﻟا ﻦﻤﺣﺮﻟا ﻪﻠﻟا ﻢﺴﺑ َلﺎَ ﻗ ﻰَﻟﺎَﻌَﺗ ُﻪَّﻠﻟا َلﺎَ ﻗ “ ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﻪﻠﻟا ﻰﻠﺻ ُّﻲِﺒَّﻨﻟا ﻲِﻨﻳِذْﺆُﻳ ﺎَﻧَأَو َﺮْﻫَّﺪﻟا ُّﺐُﺴَﻳ َمَدآ ُﻦْﺑا ُﺐِّﻠَ ﻗُأ ُﺮْﻣَ ﻷا يِﺪَﻴِﺑ ُﺮْﻫَّﺪﻟا َرﺎَﻬَّﻨﻟاَو َﻞْﻴَّﻠﻟا .”
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah said: “The son of Adam abuses Me by cursing Time, for I am Time; in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night and day.’ ” [1]
َّنأ
ْﻞُﻘَﻳ َ ﻻ “ َلﺎَ ﻗ ﻢﻠﺳو ﻪﻴﻠﻋ ﻪﻠﻟا ﻰﻠﺻ ِﻪَّﻠﻟا َلﻮُﺳَر َﺔَﺒْﻴَ ﺧ ﺎَﻳ ْﻢُﻛُﺪَ ﺣَأ
. ” ُﺮْﻫَّﺪﻟا َﻮُﻫ َﻪَّﻠﻟا َّنِﺈَﻓ . ِﺮْﻫَّﺪﻟا
The Messenger of Allah, said, “Let none of you complain about time, for Allah is time.’[2]
These are a couple of hadith that encourage us to have faith in the Qadr by avoiding cursing time. The 1st hadith is Qudsi, which is narrated in word and meaning by the Prophet (ﷺ) directly from Allah.
This hadith shows that it’s prohibited, in other words, Haraam to curse to time. [3] Imam Al-Haytami mentioned that cursing time considered a major sin in Islam.
Cursing time means a person devaluates or attributes a displeasing action to it blaming it for whatever happens. In reality, time only passes. For example night into day and day into night, Sunday then Monday and so on.
Imam AL-Qurtubi mentioned that abusing Allah is to
ascribe that to Allah which isn’t befitting of His Majesty and whoever does
that earns Allah’s Anger.[4]
The one who curses time either curses Allah or falls into Shirk. If he believes that the passing of time together with Allah is what causes the occurrences to take place then he has committed joined partners with the Most High, and if he believes that it’s Allah alone
who has caused these things to happen over time, then he has cursed Allah. [5]
“The son of Adam Abuses Me…” Whoever curses time has
abused Allah, and just
because someone is abused it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are harmed, and
Allah could never be harmed from anyone in His creation. [6]
Allah said:
ُﻪﻠﻟا ُﻢُﻬَﻨَﻌَﻟ ُﻪَﻟﻮُﺳَرَو َﻪﻠﻟا َنوُذْﺆُﻳ َﻦﻳِﺬَّﻟا َّنِإ ﺎًﻨﻴِﻬُﻣ ﺎًﺑاَﺬَﻋ ْﻢُﻬَﻟ َّﺪَﻋَأَو ِةَﺮِﺧَ ﻵاَو ﺎَﻴْﻧُّﺪﻟا ﻲِﻓ
Verily, those who annoy Allah and His Messenger () Allah has cursed them in this world, and in the Hereafter, and
has prepared for them a humiliating torment.[7]
This hadith illustrates that the Human-being curses Allah through his cursing of time. Therefore whenever something befalls him that he dislikes he blames the event on time, the day, the hour, and the year. Time is what Allah has created. Time is just a period, which doesn’t control anything at all. A disaster, a calamity, an accident, and a tragedy that occurs by Allah’s Will. So when these things happen people curse time, which is equivalent to cursing Allah, since He allowed them to happen.
The pagan Arabs of Jahiliyah used to curse time and
blame it for their deaths or if they didn’t get what they wanted. They didn’t
see their deaths were a result of Allah’s Qadr. [8]Allah said:
ﺎَﻴْﻧُّﺪﻟا ﺎَﻨُﺗﺎَﻴَ ﺣ َّﻻِإ َﻲِﻫ ﺎَﻣ اﻮُﻟﺎَ ﻗَو
ُﺮْﻫَّﺪﻟا َّﻻِإ ﺎَﻨُﻜِﻠْﻬُﻳ ﺎَﻣَو ﺎَﻴْﺤَﻧَو ُتﻮُﻤَﻧ
we die and we live and nothing destroys us except Ad-Dahr (the time).[9]
“ for I am Time…” Ibn Dawud denied the authenticity of
this
hadith saying that it would mean, “Ad-Dhar – Time” is one of Allah’s names. Conversely, Ibn
Hazm erred by saying Ad-Dhar is one of Allah’s Names.
“ for I am Time…” This doesn’t mean that one of
Allah’s names is time, but rather it points the fact whoever uses a swearword against time, has used a swearword on Allah, as time is a period and it’s Allah who changes these periods. Each and every single name of Allah is derived from His traits, and thus they can’t be taken from inanimate traits. Allah’s names point to His characteristics. Nonetheless, every trait and characteristic isn’t derived from a name. There are attributes of Allah which didn’t give Him a name. This is similar to hand and face. [10]
“ in My Hands are all things and I cause the revolution of night
and day.’” These are words directly from the Prophet
which
explain Allah’s Words.
Cursing time isn’t allowed in Islam, so how do we understand the words of Lut when he said,
ٌﺐﻴِ ﺼَﻋ ٌمْﻮَﻳ اَﺬَ ﻫ َلﺎَ ﻗَو
“This is a distressful day.[Hud 77]
In these words, Lut isn’t trying dispraise time but instead, he is just mentioning the kind of day it was and when a person does this with the intention to inform someone about the kind of day it was itself then this is fine. This is similar to say, a bad day, a dark day, a bad year, etc. Hence it goes
back to the intention.[11]
The people of Iman must always have good suspicions about Allah. Whatever befalls him he must praise Allah and remain content in the Qadr of Allah practicing patience anticipating Allah’s reward. Moreover, the servant has been reminded that any calamities which befall him are a direct result of his sins and disobedience, so he repents and returns to Allah.
[1]
Sahih Al-Bukhari (7491) Muslim(2246) [2] Muslim
2246 [3]
Explanation of Sahih Muslim, Vol 15,pg 2
[4] Sharu Al-Zarqani ala Muwatta Imam Malik vol 4, pg 514
[5]
Zadul Ma’ad Ibn Al-Qayyim vol 2, pg 355. [6]
Explanation of Kitabu At Tawheed from Sahih Al-Bukhari, Sheikh Abdul Aziz
Ar-Rajhi [7]
Al-Ahzab, 57
[8] Kashful Mushkil min hadeethi Saheehayn, by Ibn
Jawzi , vol 1, pg 892 and Sharu Al-Zarqani ala Muwatta Imam Malik vol 4, pg 514
Al-Jathiyah, #24 [10]
Explanation of Sunnan Abu Dawud vol 8, 208, Sheikh Abdul Muhsin Al-Abbadd.
[11]
Refer to Leeqa, babul Maftuh, Imam Al-Uthaymeen, vol 8, pg 33, Majmou Fatawa , Imam Al-Uthaymeen, vol 1,pg 199
