Is it permissible to curse time (ad-dahr)? And what is the ruling on one who believes that the hadith "Do not curse time, for Allah is time" should not be taken literally, but rather interpreted in its context?

You did well in admonishing this person against cursing time, because cursing time is forbidden. And what he cited from the noble verse is out of place, for the verse does not contain a cursing of time, but rather a mention of time in the sense of an era, and his speech is about cursing time. No one has said that time (ad-dahr) is God so that it can be claimed that the verse should not be taken literally. And what he mentioned regarding the meaning of the hadith, and that some of the Quraysh apotheosized nature, is incorrect according to the majority of hadith commentators. Rather, they used to curse time (ad-dahr) and say, "O the misfortune of time!" So, it was explained to them that the outcome of cursing time is cursing its Creator and Administrator, who is Allah. And they did not apotheosize nature. Time contains calamities and misfortunes, and these are by the decrees of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. So people curse time because these calamities and misfortunes occur within it, and it has no صنع (making or doing) in them. Thus, a speaker says: "Do not curse time, for indeed Allah is time." And his speech regarding cursing time is wrong, it is not permissible according to both interpretations. Therefore, the conclusion is that attributing events to time is not permissible, and likewise cursing it is not permissible.