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Fatwa CenterDo not inveigh time
Question
I came across a Saheeh Hadeeth the meaning of which is "Do not curse time for Allaah is time." What does is mean please explain in detail because like myself many other Muslim brothers and sisters would be confused as to what it means. Please explain in details for all of us to know.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
The Prophet 
said: "Do not inveigh time for Allaah is Time." Furthermore, Allaah Says in a Qudsi narration: "The child of Aadam insults me when he inveighs against [the vicissitudes of] the time, as I am the Time, all the matters are in My Hands, and I cause the revolution of day and night." [To inveigh against misfortunes that are part of Time is tantamount to inveighing against Him]. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Ash-Shaafi'ee
said about the interpretation of this narration: 'The Arabs used to inveigh time when they are befallen with calamities, like death, old age, loss and the like.'
They used to say 'The hardships of time have befallen us' or 'The time has demolished us', but in fact they commit sins during the night and the day, and they state that the time will destroy them. So the Prophet said: "Do not inveigh time believing that it is time that will destroy you or caused these things to you, because if you inveigh the one who caused these things to you, you are indeed inveighing Allaah, for it is Allaah Who caused these things to happen."
So the above narration is clear about the prohibition of inveighing time whether one believes that it is time who causes these things or not.
Ibn Al-Qayyim mentioned three disadvantages of inveighing time:
1) Inveighing something that does not deserve to be inveighed, as time is created by Allaah and submits itself to His will, so a person who does so is the one who deserves to be blamed and inveighed than the time.
2) Inveighing time includes making associates to Allaah, as one believes that time can harm or benefit.
3) Inveighing time is inveighing the One Who caused these things to happen.
Al-Khattaabi interpreted the expression in the narration 'I am the Time' to mean 'I am the One Who owns the time and all the matters are in My Hands, and I am the One Who disposes of the things which they attribute to the time.' So the time is a duration for things to happen. That is why Allaah Says in the narration: '… as I am the Time, all the matters are in My Hands, and I cause the revolution of day and night.' Time is not one of the names of Allaah otherwise those who say 'It is the time that will destroy us' would have spoken the truth.
Allaah Knows best.
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