Quran Universe
18:102

أَفَحَسِبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓاْ أَن يَتَّخِذُواْ عِبَادِي مِن دُونِيٓ أَوۡلِيَآءَۚ إِنَّآ أَعۡتَدۡنَا جَهَنَّمَ لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَ نُزُلٗا

Afahasiba allatheena kafaroo an yattakhithoo AAibadee min doonee awliyaa inna aAAtadna jahannama lilkafireena nuzulan

Then do those who disbelieve think that they can take My servants instead of Me as allies? Indeed, We have prepared Hell for the disbelievers as a lodging.

Word by word
  1. أَفَحَسِبَDo then think
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. كَفَرُوٓاْdisbelieve
  4. أَنthat
  5. يَتَّخِذُواْthey (can) take
  6. عِبَادِيMy servants
  7. مِنbesides Me
  8. دُونِيٓbesides Me
  9. أَوۡلِيَآءَۚ(as) protectors
  10. إِنَّآIndeed,We
  11. أَعۡتَدۡنَاWe have prepared
  12. جَهَنَّمَHell
  13. لِلۡكَٰفِرِينَfor the disbelievers
  14. نُزُلٗا(as) a lodging
Al-Kahf · 18:102Makkah

Do they think Allah's servants can protect them from Him?

Taking created beings as protectors

Their assumption
My servantstaken as protectors
instead of
Methe only protector
leads to
an evil lodgingprepared for them
What those protectors will do
stand up for themwhat they hoped
disown thembecome opponents

Ibn Kathir asks for them: do they think this is right for them and that it is going to benefit them? He cites the verse that those taken as protectors will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them.

You lean on a respected elder, a scholar, a charismatic figure, so much that their word feels like a guarantee. They are servants too. Love them, learn from them, but your safety is with Allah alone.

If I stay close to the right person, I will be safe.

Even the best people are Allah's servants. Only He can protect me.

Try this

Make one dua today directly to Allah for something you usually ask someone else to pray for.

Related19:82
Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (shared passage from 18:100)

And on that Day We shall present Hell to the disbelievers, plain to view (100)(To) those whose eyes had been under a covering from My Reminder, and they could not bear to hear (it)(101)Do then those who disbelieved think that they can take My servants as Awliya' [protectors] besides Me? Verily, We have prepared Hell as an entertainment for the disbelievers (102)

Hell will be displayed before the Disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection

Allah tells us what He will do to the disbelievers on the Day of Resurrection. He will show Hell to them, meaning He will bring it forth for them to see its punishment and torment before they enter it. This will intensify their distress and grief. In Sahih Muslim it is recorded that Ibn Mas'ud said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,

يُؤْتَى بِجَهَنَّمَ تُقَادُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ بِسَبْعِينَ أَلْفَ زِمَامٍ، مَعَ كُلِّ زِمَامٍ سَبْعُونَ أَلْفَ مَلَكٍ

(Hell will be brought forth on the Day of Resurrection, pulled by means of seventy thousand reins, each of which will be held by seventy thousand angels.)

Then Allah says of them:

الَّذِينَ كَانَتْ أَعْيُنُهُمْ فِي غِطَاءٍ عَن ذِكْرِي

((To) those whose eyes had been under a covering from My Reminder,) meaning, they neglected it, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to it, refusing to accept guidance and follow the truth. As Allah says:

وَمَن يَعْشُ عَن ذِكْرِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ نُقَيِّضْ لَهُ شَيْطَانًا فَهُوَ لَهُ قَرِينٌ

(And whosoever turns away blindly from the remembrance of the Most Gracious, We appoint for him a Shaytan to be a companion for him.)(43:36) And here Allah says:

وَكَانُوا لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ سَمْعًا

(and they could not bear to hear (it).) meaning, they did not understand the commands and prohibitions of Allah. Then He says:

أَفَحَسِبَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَن يَتَّخِذُوا عِبَادِي مِن دُونِي أَوْلِيَاءَ

(Do then those who disbelieved think that they can take My servants as Awliya' [protectors] besides Me?) meaning, do they think that this is right for them and that it is going to benefit them?

كَلَّا ۚ سَيَكْفُرُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِمْ وَيَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضِدًّا

(Nay, but they will deny their worship of them, and become opponents to them)[19:82].

Allah says that He has prepared Hell as their abode on the Day of Resurrection.