How is one to reconcile between verses that deny guardianship for disbelievers, such as His saying, the Almighty: (And he whom Allah sends astray - there will be for him no protector after Him), and verses that affirm Satan’s guardianship over them, such as His saying: (We have already sent [messengers] to nations before you, and Satan made their deeds attractive to them. And he is their guardian today [in the world], and they will have a painful punishment)?

"We caution against debating atheists, except for those who are qualified. There is no contradiction between the two verses mentioned. The meaning of 'whom Allah sends astray, there is no protector for him' is that there is no one to guide him and lead him to the truth. As for Satan's guardianship over them, it is a guardianship of misguidance, temptation, and turning away from the truth. This guardianship does not benefit them; rather, Satan will disown them on the Day of Resurrection and deny that he had any authority over them. So, 'protector' in this context means a helper. 'Whom Allah sends astray' means whom He abandons. So, there is no protector for him after Allah, meaning whoever Allah sends astray from these matters, no one can guide him. Satan's guardianship over them in this world is a guardianship of temptation and adornment, and it is a guardianship that does not benefit them. The negated guardianship is the beneficial guardianship. Even if the guardianship belongs to Satan in the Hereafter, it is a negation of guardianship in the most eloquent way, for whoever has Satan as his protector truly has no protector."