The Bee
IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MOST GRACIOUS, THE DISPENSER OF GRACE[16:63]
By God, [O Prophet,] even before thy time have We sent apostles unto [various] communities: but [those who were bent on denying the truth have always refused to listen to Our messages because] Satan has made all their own doings seem goodly to them: and he is [as] close to them today [as he was to the sinners of yore]; hence, grievous suffering awaits them.

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* v.63 : Or: “He is their patron [or “master”] today.” It should be borne in mind that the noun walī is derived from the verb waliya, which primarily signifies “he was [or “became”] close [or “near,” i.e., to someone or something].” It is in this sense that the term walī is used in the Qur’ān with reference to God’s nearness to the believers (e.g., in 2:257 or 3:68), or their nearness to God (see 10:62 and the corresponding note 84). Similarly, the “powers of evil” (at-tāghūt) are spoken of in 2:257 as being “near unto those who are bent on denying the truth (alladhīna kafarū).”