The Quran

تَاللَّهِ لَقَد أَرسَلنا إِلىٰ أُمَمٍ مِن قَبلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيطانُ أَعمالَهُم فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ اليَومَ وَلَهُم عَذابٌ أَليمٌ

Muhammad Asad

By God, [O Prophet,] even before thy time have We sent apostles unto [various] communities: but [those who were bent on denying the truth have always refused to listen to Our messages because] Satan has made all their own doings seem goodly to them: and he is [as] close to them today¹ [as he was to the sinners of yore]; hence, grievous suffering awaits them.

Or: "He is their patron [or "master"] today": It should be borne in mind that the noun wali is derived from the verb waliya, which primarily signifies "he was [or "became"] close [or "near", i.e., to someone or something]". It is in this sense that the term wali is used in the Qur'an with reference to God's nearness to the believers (e.g., in 2:257 or 3:68), or their nearness to God (see 10:62 and the corresponding note 84). Similarly, the "powers of evil" (at-taghut) are spoken of in 2:257 as being "near unto those who are bent on denying the truth (alladhina kafaru)".