(18) “The likeness of the deeds of those who disbelieve in their Lord is that of ashes swept away by the wind on a stormy day. They will have no power over anything they earned. That is extreme misguidance.”

Allah Most High tells us about the deeds of the disbelievers. This may refer to the deeds they performed for Allah: they vanish, come to nothing, and dissipate just as ashes—the finest and lightest of things—are scattered when swept up by the wind on a fiercely stormy day. Nothing remains of them, nor can any of them be recovered; they vanish and dissipate. Likewise, the disbelievers “will have no power over anything they earned,” not even an atom’s weight of it, because it was founded upon disbelief and denial.

“That is extreme misguidance,” for their efforts came to nothing and their deeds vanished. Alternatively, this may refer to the deeds the disbelievers performed in order to scheme against the truth. They strive and toil toward that end, but their scheming recoils upon them, and they will not harm Allah, His messengers, His hosts, or the truth they uphold in any way.