His saying, exalted and majestic is He: "So that a soul may say, 'Oh, how regretful I am for what I neglected in the service of Allah, and indeed I was among the mockers.'" Or it may say, 'If only Allah had guided me, I would have been among the righteous.'" Or it may say when it sees the punishment, 'If only I could return (to the world), then I would be among the doers of good.'" Yes, indeed, My signs came to you, but you denied them and were arrogant and were among the disbelievers." And on the Day of Resurrection, you will see those who lied against Allah, their faces blackened. Is there not in Hell a dwelling place for the arrogant?"

"An" in this verse is a purpose clause, meaning: repent and submit so that a soul may say. The majority read: "Oh, how regretful!" The original is: "Oh, how regretful I am!" Among the Arabs, some replace the added 'ya' with an 'alif', saying: 'Oh, boy!' and 'Oh, neighbor!' Abu Ja'far ibn al-Qaqa' read: [Oh, how regretful I am!] with the 'ya' pronounced. It has also been narrated from him with it being silent. Abu al-Fath said: He combined the substitute and that which substitutes it. Ibn Jammaz narrated from Abu Ja'far: "Oh, how regretful I am!" with the 'ta' broken and followed by a silent 'ya'. Sibawayh said: "The meaning of calling out in regret and woe is: This is your time, so be present." And "I neglected" means: I fell short in what is necessary. His saying: "in the service of Allah" means: in my intentions towards Allah, and in the direction of His obedience, that is: in neglecting His Shari'ah and believing in Him. The term "service" is used to express this and similar matters, and from it is the poet's saying:

"Did I not suffer reproach in the service of Bakr? By my life, its reproach has indeed prolonged."

And from it is the saying of another:

"People are in service and the leader is in service."

Mujahid said: "in the service of Allah" means: in the command of Allah. And the saying of the disbeliever: "And indeed I was among the mockers" is regret for his mockery of Allah's command. Mockery means: ridicule.

And His saying, exalted is He: "Or it may say" in both instances is connected to His saying: "So that a soul may say" in the first instance. And "return" is a noun, from: return, and His saying: "then I would be" is in the accusative case due to an implied "that". It is connected to His saying: "return", and the intended meaning is: If only I could return (to the world) to be. Therefore, it is necessary to have "that" to be with the verb by interpreting the noun, and similar is the poet's saying - which Al-Farra' recited:

"So you have no remembrance of it except for fear, and you ask about its riders where they have headed."

And some people have clarified the speech by saying: "If only I could return (to the world)." This was mentioned by Al-Tabari, and this "being" in this verse is included in wishing.

And His saying: "Yes" is a response to an implied denial in the words of this soul, as if it said: "For my life, in this world I did not have the opportunity to reflect," or it said: "For indeed, the matter did not become clear to me in this world," and similar to this. The right of "Yes" is that it comes after a denial with a confirmation.

The majority read: "Indeed, My signs came to you" with the 'kaf' opened and with the 'ta' opened from His saying: "but you denied them and were arrogant and were among the disbelievers," addressing the disbeliever with the soul. Ibn Yamr and Al-Jahdari read with the 'kaf' and 'ta' broken in all three instances, addressing the mentioned soul. Abu Hatim said: It was narrated by Umm Salamah from the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him. Al-Amash read: [Yes, indeed, it came to him] with the 'ha'.

Then, the Exalted addressed His Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, with news that he will see on the Day of Resurrection regarding the state of the disbelievers. Within this news is a warning for those contemporaneous with Muhammad, blessings and peace be upon him. His saying: [You will see] is from the sight of the eye. Their lying about Allah is in that they attributed daughters to Allah and made partners for Him, and they legislated what Allah had not permitted, among other things. His saying: ﴿Their faces will be blackened﴾ is a statement in the context of the situation. The apparent meaning of the verse is that the color of their faces will change and truly become blackened. It is possible that there is a figurative expression in the wording, and he expressed blackness as a reflection of the disgrace of their faces, the predominance of their worry, and the appearance of their gloom. And 'abode' is the place of dwelling and residence. And 'the arrogant' is one who raises himself above his rightful status. The Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him, said: 'Arrogance is the denial of the truth and the belittling of people.'