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"And they said: What is [the matter] with us that we do not see men whom we used to count..."

The pronoun refers to the transgressors (al-taghin) at the time of their gathering, meaning the transgressors said to one another, by way of astonishment and regret: "What is [the matter] with us that we do not see men whom we used to count" — in the worldly life — "among the wicked."

That is, the lowliest people in whom there is no good and no benefit. By this, they mean the poor among the believers, whom they used to consider lowly and whom they mocked due to their poverty and their opposition to them in religion. It has been said: The pronoun refers to the chieftains of Quraysh, such as Abu Jahl, Umayyah ibn Khalaf, and the companions of the pit (al-qalib), while the "men" refers to Ammar, Suhayb, Salman, Khabbab, Bilal, and their likes, may Allah Almighty be pleased with them. This is based on what has been narrated from Mujahid: that the verse was revealed concerning them. However, the author of al-Kashf considered this view weak, as the occasion of revelation (sabab al-nuzul) does not necessitate exclusivity. Others have suggested that the pronoun refers to the followers, as they were addressed prior to this—namely in the words of the Almighty: "They said: 'Nay, [it was] you...'"—and they also used to mock the poor believers, following their leaders. Regardless, the clause "we used to count" is an adjective for "men."