Surah Saba · سُوْرَةُ سَبَاٍ · Juz 22
Q 34:21
وَمَا كَانَ لَهُۥ عَلَيْهِم مِّن سُلْطَـٰنٍ إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَن يُؤْمِنُ بِٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِى شَكٍّ ۗ وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ حَفِيظٌ
Translations
And he had over them no authority except [it was decreed] that We might make evident who believes in the Hereafter from who is thereof in doubt. And your Lord, over all things, is Guardian.Et pourtant il n'avait sur eux aucun pouvoir si ce n'est que Nous voulions distinguer celui qui croyait en l'au-delà et celui qui doutait. Ton Seigneur, cependant, assure la sauvegarde de toute chose.Tafsir
And Iblis has no power over them through which he can force them to be misguided, but he only beautifies for them to entice them to lead them astray. We have given him permission to entice so we can make it clear the one who has faith in the Hereafter from the one who is in doubt about the Hereafter. And your Lord, O Messenger, is a Guardian over everything. He guards the actions of His servants and will reward them for them.
Read Ibn Kathir (Ibn Kathir (abridged, English))
And indeed Iblis did prove true his thought about them, and they followed him, all except a group of true believers (20)And he had no authority over them, – except that We might test him who believes in the Hereafter, from him who is in doubt about it. And your Lord is Watchful over everything (21)
How Iblis' thought about the Disbeliever proved True
Having mentioned Saba' and how they followed their desires, and the Shaytan, Allah tells us about their counterparts among those who follow Iblis and their own desires, and who go against wisdom and true guidance. Allah says:
وَلَقَدْ صَدَّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ إِبْلِيسُ ظَنَّهُ
(And indeed Iblis did prove true his thought about them,) Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, and others said that this Ayah is like the Ayah where Allah tells us about how Iblis refused to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him, then said:
أَرَأَيْتَكَ هَٰذَا الَّذِي كَرَّمْتَ عَلَيَّ لَئِنْ أَخَّرْتَنِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ لَأَحْتَنِكَنَّ ذُرِّيَّتَهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
(See this one whom You have honored above me, if You give me respite to the Day of Resurrection, I will surely seize and mislead his offspring all but a few!)(17:62)
ثُمَّ لَآتِيَنَّهُمْ مِنْ بَيْنِ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِمْ وَعَنْ أَيْمَانِهِمْ وَعَنْ شَمَائِلِهِمْ ۖ وَلَا تَجِدُ أَكْثَرَهُمْ شَاكِرِينَ
(Then I will come to them from before them and behind them, from their right and from their left, and You will not find most of them as thankful ones.)(7:17) And there are many Ayat which refer to this matter.
وَمَا كَانَ لَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سُلْطَانٍ
(And he (Iblis) had no authority over them,) Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him said, "This means, he had no proof."
إِلَّا لِنَعْلَمَ مَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِالْآخِرَةِ مِمَّنْ هُوَ مِنْهَا فِي شَكٍّ
(except that We might test him who believes in the Hereafter, from him who is in doubt about it.) means, 'We gave him power over them only to show who believes in the Hereafter and that it will come to pass.' The people will be brought to account and rewarded or punished accordingly, so that he will worship his Lord properly in this world – and to distinguish these believers from those who are in doubt about the Hereafter.
وَرَبُّكَ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ حَفِيظٌ
(And your Lord is a Watchful over everything.) means, despite His watching, those who follow Iblis go astray, but by His watching and care, the believers who follow the Messengers are saved.
Arabic text: Tanzil (Uthmani). Translations: Sahih International (en), Muhammad Hamidullah (fr). tanzil.net