572. What Is The Ruling On Cursing On Circumstances?

 By Asma Bint Shameem

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” against something  

Imaam al-Nawawi said:

“They said: this is a metaphor, because 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 Subhaanahu wa Ta’aala  

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 explains what this hadeeth means.

He 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)

And Allaah knows best