Al-Dahr is not one of the names of Allaah

 

I read a hadeeth which says that Allaah says “I am al-Dahr (time).” Does this mean that al-Dahr is one of the beautiful names of Allaah?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

The hadeeth referred to
in the question was narrated by al-Bukhaari (4826) and Muslim (2246) from
Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah, may
He be glorified and exalted, says: ‘The son of Adam inveighs against Me, he
inveighs against [the vicissitudes of] Time (al-Dahr), and I am Time, in My
hand are all affairs, I alternate the night and the day.” 

This hadeeth does not indicate that al-Dahr is one of the
names of Allaah, rather what the hadeeth means is that Allaah is the One who
controls time. 

Al-Khattaabi said: 

What this means is: I am the Owner of Time, the Controller of
all affairs that they attribute to time, so whoever inveighs against time
because it does these things, is in effect inveighing against his Lord Who
is the One who does them. 

Al-Nawawi said: 

What is meant by saying “Allaah is al-Dahr (Time)” is that He
is the One Who causes things to happen, the Creator of all things that
exist. And Allaah knows best. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  

Al-Dahr is not one of the names of Allaah, and whoever claims
that is erring for two reasons: 

1 – His Names are the most perfect and beautiful, they should
refer to the most eloquent and beautiful meanings. Hence we do not find any
name among the names of Allaah that does not refer to any attribute. Al-Dahr
is such a word, and it cannot mean anything other than time.

2 – The context of the
hadeeth renders that impossible, because He says, “I alternate the night and
the day”; night and day are time, so how can the thing that is controlled be
the one that controls them?? 

Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
1/163.