Quran Universe
22:4

كُتِبَ عَلَيۡهِ أَنَّهُۥ مَن تَوَلَّاهُ فَأَنَّهُۥ يُضِلُّهُۥ وَيَهۡدِيهِ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

Kutiba AAalayhi annahu man tawallahu faannahu yudilluhu wayahdeehi ila AAathabi alssaAAeeri

It has been decreed for every devil that whoever turns to him - he will misguide him and will lead him to the punishment of the Blaze.

Word by word
  1. كُتِبَIt has been decreed
  2. عَلَيۡهِfor him
  3. أَنَّهُۥthat he
  4. مَنwho
  5. تَوَلَّاهُbefriends him
  6. فَأَنَّهُۥthen indeed,he
  7. يُضِلُّهُۥwill misguide him
  8. وَيَهۡدِيهِand will guide him
  9. إِلَىٰto
  10. عَذَابِ(the) punishment
  11. ٱلسَّعِيرِ(of) the Blaze
Al-Hajj · 22:4Madinah

Befriend the devil and he guides you, the wrong way.

What is written about following Shaytan

The decree
whoever follows himtakes him as a friend
is
misledin this world
then
led to the Blazein the next
The irony
a guidehe shows a way
a guide to losshis guidance ends in fire

Ibn Kathir explains that it is written for Shaytan: whoever follows and imitates him, he misleads, and drives toward the Fire. The verse uses the word guide on purpose. Shaytan also leads; the question is where.

The friend who always knows the shortcut, the late-night app that always has one more video, the voice that says you deserve it this once. Each one leads somewhere. Ask where the path ends, not how easy the first step is.

I am not following anyone; I am just doing what feels right.

Everyone follows someone; I should check where my guide is taking me.

Try this

Pick one habit you slid into without deciding. Ask honestly where it leads.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 22:3)

And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge, and follows every rebellious Shaytan (3)For him (the devil) it is decreed that whosoever follows him, he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire (4)

Condemnation of the Followers of the Shaytan

Allah condemns those who deny the Resurrection and who deny that Allah is able to restore life to the dead, those who turn away from that which Allah has revealed to His Prophets and, in their views – denial and disbelief – follow every rebellious Shaytan among men and Jinn. This is the state of the followers of innovation and misguidance, who turn away from the truth and follow falsehood, following the words of the leaders of misguidance who call people to follow innovation and their own desires and opinions. Allah says concerning them and their like,

وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يُجَادِلُ فِي اللَّهِ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ

(And among mankind is he who disputes about Allah, without knowledge,) meaning, without sound knowledge.

وَيَتَّبِعُ كُلَّ شَيْطَانٍ مَّرِيدٍ - كُتِبَ عَلَيْهِ

(and follows every rebellious Shaytan. For him it is decreed.) Mujahid said, "This refers to that Shaytan." meaning that is a matter written in the decree.

أَنَّهُ مَن تَوَلَّاهُ

(that whosoever follows him,) and imitates him,

فَأَنَّهُ يُضِلُّهُ وَيَهْدِيهِ إِلَىٰ عَذَابِ السَّعِيرِ

(he will mislead him, and will drive him to the torment of the Fire.) means, he will mislead him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will drive him to the torment of the Fire, which is unbearably hot, painful and agonizing. As-Suddi reported that Abu Malik said, "This Ayah was revealed about An-Nadr bin Al-Harith. This was also the view of Ibn Jurayj.