By Asma bint Shameem
So 2020 is gone.
But as the last day of this year was approaching, a lot of people *cursed* the year.
“Good riddance!
“What an ‘evil’ year!
“2020 brought ‘bad luck’”
“I can’t wait to see 2020 end!”
And they said much worse.
That’s because they believed that it was the year 2020 *itself* that was “cursed” and “ill-fated” that brought them bad luck and misfortune.
And they were “relieved” that the “evil year” was gone.
But it’s not a certain ’year’ or ‘time’ that is evil or hexed or cursed.
Or that brings us good luck or misfortune.
Rather such a belief is *haraam*.
Allaah has *forbidden* us to curse time or complain about that.
The Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala said:
“The son of Adam *abuses* me. He curses time and I am time, for in my hand are the night and day.”
(al-Bukhaari 4549, Saheeh Muslim 2246)
And he said:
“Do not inveigh time for Allaah is Time."
(Saheeh Muslim)
Inveigh means “to protest or complain bitterly”
Remember that years and months and days are nothing but *creations* of Allaah.
Similarly diseases and viruses are *creations* of Allaah.
A certain ‘time’ or ‘year’ does not have a “Will” of its own.
It cannot do anything in and of itself.
It does NOT have the ability to bring us harm or good.
The year “2020” did NOT bring us “bad luck” or “sickness” or whatever.
Rather it was the *DECREE* of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
Allaah says:
مَا أَصَابَ مِن مُّصِيبَةٍ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فِي أَنفُسِكُمْ إِلَّا فِي كِتَابٍ مِّن قَبْلِ أَن نَّبْرَأَهَا إِنَّ ذَٰلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ
“No misfortune can happen on earth or in your souls but is recorded in a decree before We bring it into existence: That is truly easy for Allaah.”
(Surah al-Hadeed 22)
And the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
“Allaah wrote the decree of all of creation 50,000 years before the creation of the heavens and the earth.” (Muslim)
So whatever happened in 2020 was the Will and Decree of Allaah.
And had NOTHING to do with 2020 itself.
2020 was NOT a “cursed” year that brought bad luck and now that it’s gone, our lives would change.
Imaam al-Nawawi said:
“The Arabs used to inveigh against time when disasters such as death, old age, loss of money, etc., happened.
They would say, ‘Woe to time’ and other phrases cursing or inveighing against time.
So the Prophet Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:
‘Do not inveigh against time for Allaah is time’, i.e., do not inveigh against the One Who brings about those disasters, for that will be directed towards Allaah, for He is the One Who causes them to happen.
Time (al-dahr) means al-zamaan (time) which cannot do anything in and of itself, for it is just one of the things that have been created by Allaah.
The meaning of the phrase “for Allaah is time” means that He is the One Who causes those events and accidents to happen, and He is the Creator of all that happens.” (Sharh Muslim, 15/3)
Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen said:
“Inveighing against time may be divided into three categories:
1. Where the intention is to convey information without blaming or condemning.
This is permissible, such as when a person remarks, “We are suffering from the heat (or the cold) today” and the like, because deeds are judged according to their intentions, and in this case a person is merely describing what is happening without expressing discontent.
2. Where a person inveighs against time as the *cause* of events, as if by inveighing against it he means that time is what causes things to alternate between good and bad.
This is *shirk akbar* (major form of shirk) because when a person attributes events to something other than Allaah, this means that he believes that there is another creator alongside Allaah.
3. Where a person inveighs against time but believes that the One who causes things to happen is Allaah, but he inveighs against time because of the bad things that happened.
This is *haraam* because it is *contrary* to the *sabr* that is required, but it is not kufr because the person does not inveigh directly against Allaah.
If he were to inveigh directly against Allaah, he would be a kaafir.”(Fataawaa al-‘Aqeedah, 1/197)
So we cannot attribute good or bad to “time” itself, as everything is in the Hands of Allaah Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala.
It is He Who is the Disposer of everything.
And it is ONLY He Who decrees everything.
Tests and trials will happen, no matter what year or what time or what place.
That’s part of life.
Shaikh Moosaa Richardson said:
“Misguided non-Muslims observe their New Year’s Day by speaking ill of the year ending because of difficulties faced and they say “Good riddance, 2020!” and worse things.
Muslims never speak ill of time (years, months, etc.);
It is forbidden; what happened is only from Allaah’s Decree.”
And Allaah knows best
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