Quran Universe
16:104

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤۡمِنُونَ بِـَٔايَٰتِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَهۡدِيهِمُ ٱللَّهُ وَلَهُمۡ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

Inna allatheena la yuminoona biayati Allahi la yahdeehimu Allahu walahum AAathabun aleemun

Indeed, those who do not believe in the verses of Allah - Allah will not guide them, and for them is a painful punishment.

Word by word
  1. إِنَّIndeed
  2. ٱلَّذِينَthose who
  3. لَا(do) not
  4. يُؤۡمِنُونَbelieve
  5. بِـَٔايَٰتِin the Verses
  6. ٱللَّهِ(of) Allah
  7. لَاnot
  8. يَهۡدِيهِمُAllah will guide them
  9. ٱللَّهُAllah will guide them
  10. وَلَهُمۡand for them
  11. عَذَابٌ(is) a punishment
  12. أَلِيمٌpainful
An-Nahl · 16:104Makkah

Those who refuse His signs are left without guidance.

Guidance needs a heart that wants it

Turning away
the heedlessno intention to believe
reject
Allah's signsthe message
so
not guidedby their own choice
What guidance requires
proof alonemore signs will do it
a willing heartthat wants to believe

Ibn Kathir says Allah does not guide those who turn away from remembering Him, who are heedless, and who have no intention of believing. Such people will not be guided by the signs, because they never wanted to be.

You say you want to change, but you avoid every talk, every reminder, every friend who might push you. Guidance comes to those who want it. Wanting it starts with not running from it.

If Allah wanted me guided, it would just happen.

Guidance meets those who turn toward it; refusing it closes the door.

Try this

Make a sincere dua today: O Allah, make me want what You want for me.

Simplified reflection. Read the tafsir for scholarship.draft
Tafsir Ibn Kathir

Verily, those who do not believe in Allah's Ayat (signs, or revelation), Allah will not guide them, and theirs will be a painful punishment (104)It is only those who do not believe in Allah's Ayat who fabricate the falsehood, and it is they who are liars (105)

Allah tells us that He does not guide those who turn away from remembering Him and who are heedless of that which He revealed to His Messenger ﷺ, those who have no intention of believing in that which he has brought from Allah. This kind of people will never be guided to faith by the signs of Allah and the Message which He sent His Messengers in this world, and they will suffer a painful and severe punishment in the Hereafter. Then Allah informs us that His Messenger ﷺ is not a forger nor a liar, because the one who fabricates falsehood about Allah and His Messenger ﷺ is the most evil of creatures.

الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ

(Verily, those who do not believe in Allah's Ayat,) Allah will not guide them, and theirs will be a painful punishment, meaning, the disbelievers and heretics who are known to the people as liars. The Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, on the other hand, was the most honest and righteous of people, the most perfect in knowledge, deeds, faith and conviction. He was known among his people for his truthfulness and no one among them had any doubts about that - to such an extent that they always addressed him as Al-Amin (the Trustworthy) Muhammad. Thus when Heraclius, the king of the Romans, asked Abu Sufyan about the attributes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, one of the things he said to him was, "Did you ever accuse him of lying before he made his claim?" Abu Sufyan said, "No". Heraclius said, "He would refrain from lying about people and then go and fabricate lies about Allah?"