and, having once trodden it, he then spurned it; so he was punished by being driven far along the path of error he had chosen for himself, forsaking the road of guidance. Thus, guidance is impossible for him so long as he persists heedlessly(1) in his own seduction, plunging ever deeper into misguidance.

This is a fitting recompense for his deed, as in Allah’s words about the Jews in Sūrah al-Baqarah: “A group from among those who had been given the Scripture cast the Book of Allah behind their backs as though they did not know, and they followed what the devils recited during the reign of Solomon” (al-Baqarah 2:101-102). Because they abandoned the divine Books sent to guide humanity, rectify their affairs, and secure their happiness, they were put to the test of following the vilest, most despicable, and most harmful tales for the intellect—narratives that wreak havoc upon society. Likewise, when those who wage war against Allah and His Messenger refused to spend their wealth in obedience to the Most Merciful, He tried them by making them expend it in obedience to Satan.