يَدْعُو لَمَنْ ضَرُّهُ أَقْرَبُ مِنْ نَفْعِهِ لَبِئْسَ الْمَوْلَى وَلَبِئْسَ الْعَشِيرُ ﴿۱۳﴾ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُدْخِلُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِنْ تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَفْعَلُ مَا يُرِيدُ ﴿۱۴﴾

﴾13﴿ Yad'oo laman darruhooo aqrabu min naf'ih; labi'salmawlaa wa labi'sal 'asheer
﴾14﴿ Innal laaha yudkhilul lazeena aamanoo wa 'amilus saalihaati jannaatin tajree min tahtihal anhaar; innal laaha yaf'alu maa yureed

﴾13﴿ They worship one whose harm is closer than his benefit. How evil is such a patron, and how evil is such a companion
﴾14﴿ Indeed, Allah will admit those who have believed and done righteous deeds in accordance with the Sunnah into gardens beneath which rivers flow. Verily, Allah does whatever He wills

[13] This verse is a refutation of shirk fī al-duʿāʾ (associating partners with Allah in supplication), or it explains the reason behind shirk—namely, following the ways of the polytheists.
There are several objections (ishkāl) in this verse, with their responses:
First Objection: In the previous verse, it was stated that those besides Allah cannot bring harm or benefit. But here, harm and benefit are affirmed for them.
Answer 1: This verse refers to misguided leaders—polytheists, innovators, and corrupt spiritual figures—who mislead people. They may offer some worldly benefits (like food, money), but they harm people’s religion and faith. So, their harm outweighs their benefit, and it comes much sooner.
Answer 2: Here, harm means sin and punishment resulting from shirk, and benefit refers only to the imagined or assumed benefit according to the polytheist—not real benefit.
Note: Because guides who lead astray are of two kinds:
1. The senior ones who invent their own religion and claim to be pīrs or murshids—they are called mawlā (protector/master).
2. The peers and companions who encourage each other in shirk and bidʿah, presenting sins attractively—they are called ʿashīr (close companion).
[14] In this verse, the fourth type of people is mentioned—those who are believers—and for them is the glad tidings of the Hereafter. (Indeed, Allah does whatever He wills.) This is a response to anyone who might wonder why Allah the Exalted misguides some people and guides others. The essence of the answer is that Allah the Exalted acts according to His will, for many wise reasons.