Allah Almighty said: The son of Adam hurts Me by cursing time, while I am time. The matter is in My Hands, I alternate the night and the day
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah Almighty said: The son of Adam hurts Me by cursing time, while I am time. The matter is in My Hands, I alternate the night and the day."
Attribution: Agreed upon
Grade: Authentic
Explanation
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that Allah Almighty says in the Qudsi Hadīth: The human being hurts Me and belittles Me when he curses and blames time during the times of calamities and hardships, for it is Allah Almighty alone Who controls and governs everything that happens. Therefore, cursing time is, in reality, cursing Allah Almighty, as time is a subjugated created entity in which events occur by the command of Allah.
Benefits
This Hadīth is part of what the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) narrates from his Lord, and it is called Qudsi or Divine Hadīth. Its wording and meaning are from Allah, yet it does not have the unique characteristics of the Qur'an, including reciting it as a form of worship, getting purified for it, presenting it as a challenge, its miraculousness, etc.
Showing proper manners with Allah Almighty in speech and belief.
It is obligatory to believe in divine decree and predestination and to endure the harm patiently.
Hurt is different from harm; a person may be hurt by hearing or seeing something unpleasant without being harmed by it. Similarly, a person may be hurt by a bad smell, such as that of onions or garlic, without actually being harmed by it.
Allah Almighty is hurt by some of the bad actions of His slaves, but He is not harmed by such actions. As He said in the Qudsi Hadīth: "O My slaves, you will never reach the extent of harming Me to harm Me, and you will never reach the extent of benefiting Me to benefit Me."
Cursing and describing time can be divided into three categories: 1. To curse time as if it is the doer, believing that time is the one who turns things to good or bad. This is a major Shirk because one believes that there is another creator besides Allah, and he attributes the occurrence of events to something other than Allah. 2. To curse time, not believing it is the doer, but thinking that Allah is the doer, yet cursing it because it is the medium in which this thing, which is undesirable for him, occurs; this is forbidden. 3. To say it as mere information, without blame, is permissible. An example of this is the statement of Lūt (Lot) (peace be upon him): {This is a distressing day}.
