Ya-hasratan ‘ala al-‘ibad

"Hasrah" (regret/anguish), according to al-Raghib, is the sorrow over what has passed and remorse for it. It is as if the one in anguish has had their strength stripped from them due to the intensity of that [regret], or has been overcome by exhaustion in attempting to rectify what they have let slip. In al-Bahr, it is described as a person plunging into such intense regret that there is no end beyond it, until they remain exhausted and helpless.

The apparent meaning is that "Ya" is for calling out, and "Hasrah" is the one called. Addressing it [as if it were a person] is a metaphor, treating it as if it were a rational being. It is as though it was said: "O Regret, appear! For this situation is one of those that requires your presence," specifically, that which is indicated by His saying, the Exalted: “There does not come to them any messenger except that they used to mock him.”

The intended meaning of "the servants" (al-‘ibad) is those who denied the messengers; the destroyed nations of old are included in this, primarily and essentially. It is said that they are the sole intended meaning, but that is not the case. By the "regret" being called, their own regret is intended. Those who mock the sincere, devoted advisors—whose counsel is linked to the welfare of both abodes—are the most deserving of feeling regret for themselves, as they have squandered their eternal happiness and exchanged it for everlasting punishment. This is supported by the recitation of Ibn Abbas, Ubayy, Ali bin al-Husayn, al-Dahhak, Mujahid, and al-Hasan: "Ya hasratu al-‘ibad" (O the regret of the servants), in the genitive construction (idafah). The idea that the regret belongs to others regarding them—with the idafah being for the slightest connection—is contrary to the apparent meaning. Ibn Jarir and others reported from Qatadah that he said in some recitations: "Ya hasratu al-‘ibadi ‘ala anfusihim ma ya’tihim..." (O the regret of the servants for their own souls; there does not come to them...).

It has been permitted that the regret belongs to the angels and the believers from among the two weights (mankind and jinn). Al-Dahhak restricted it to the regret of the angels, peace be upon them. He claimed that the "servants" refers to the three messengers [of the city]. Abu al-‘Aliyah also interpreted "the servants" this way, but he ascribed the regret to the destroyed disbelievers, saying: They felt regret when they saw the punishment of Allah, the Exalted, and lamented what they had missed. It is also said that "the servants" refers to those [disbelievers], and the one feeling the regret is the man who came from the furthest part of the city, who felt regret when the people rose to kill him. Still others say "the servants" are those people, and the one feeling the regret is the messengers when that man was killed, the punishment befell them, and they [the people] did not believe. The state of these opinions is clear; those who said the "one feeling regret" is the man, or the messengers, intended that the aforementioned statement is the statement of the man or the statement of the messengers. There is that in the speech of Abu Hayyan which is evident in this regard, yet one should not rely on any of what has been mentioned.

It is also permitted that the feeling of regret from Him, the Glorified and Exalted, is a metaphor for the gravity of what they committed against their own souls. This is supported by the recitation: "Ya hasrata ‘ala al-‘ibad," for the original is "Ya hasrati" (O my regret), where the ya is replaced by an alif. Similar to this is the recitation of Ibn Abbas, as Ibn Khalawayh said: "Ya hasrata ‘ala al-‘ibad" without tanwin, for the original is also "Ya hasrati," the ya was replaced by an alif, then the alif was dropped and the fatha was deemed sufficient in its place. Abu al-Zinad, Ibn Hurmuz, and Ibn Jundub recited: "Ya hasrata ‘ala al-‘ibad" with a quiescent ha (hasratah). The view is: a long pause on "hasratah" to magnify the matter, then it is said "‘ala al-‘ibad." In al-Lawami’, it is stated that they paused on the ha to exaggerate the regret, for there is in the ha a sound of sighing or moaning, and then they proceeded from that state.

Al-Tayyibi said: When the Arabs report on something they deem insignificant, they hasten through it and do not provide the full expression, such as in the phrase: "I said to her: Qafi (stop) for us," and she replied "Qa," meaning Waqafat (she stopped). She reduced the whole word to one letter out of disdain for the situation and weariness of responding. It is clear that this does not befit the context. According to this reading, "‘ala al-‘ibad" should not be linked to hasrah or be an adjective for it, as a pause there would not be good. Instead, it should be linked to an implied verb indicated by hasrah, such as "they regret" (yatahassarun) or "I regret" (atahassar) for the servants. The estimation that it means "Look at the regret of the servants" is not strong, nor is it the predicate of an omitted subject to clarify the one being regretted. The explanation of the recitation "Ya hasrata" with an alif in this manner—by saying that one pauses on the accusative word that would otherwise have tanwin, because one pauses on it with an alif (like "Kana Allahu ‘ala kulli shay’in qadira") and "Dharaba Zaydun ‘Amra"—is not substantial. Even if it were considered substantial, it does not contradict the [prior] supporting evidence.

It is also said that "Ya" is for calling, the vocative is omitted, "Hasrah" is an absolute object (maf’ul mutlaq) for an omitted verb, and "‘ala al-‘ibad" is linked to that verb. That is: "O you, feel regret, a regret for the servants." Perhaps the most appropriate for the context and what immediately comes to mind is that it is a calling for the regret of everyone capable of feeling it; in this, there is hyperbole.

His saying, the Exalted: “There does not come to them…” and so on, is a new sentence explaining what is being regretted. "Bihi" is linked to "mock" (yastahzi’un), and it was brought forward for the sake of restricted exclusivity (hasr) based on assertion. It is also permitted that this was for the sake of the rhyming endings (fawasill).