قِيلَ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ قَالَ يَا لَيْتَ قَوْمِي يَعْلَمُونَ ﴿۲۶﴾ بِمَا غَفَرَ لِي رَبِّي وَجَعَلَنِي مِنَ الْمُكْرَمِينَ ﴿۲۷﴾ وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَى قَوْمِهِ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مِنْ جُنْدٍ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ وَمَا كُنَّا مُنْزِلِينَ ﴿۲۸﴾ إِنْ كَانَتْ إِلَّا صَيْحَةً وَاحِدَةً فَإِذَا هُمْ خَامِدُونَ ﴿۲۹﴾ يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلَّا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ ﴿۳۰﴾

﴾26﴿ Qeelad khulil Jannnah; qaala yaa
﴾27﴿ Bimaa ghafara lee Rabbee wa ja'alanee minal mukrameen
﴾28﴿ Wa maaa anzalnaa 'alaa qawmihee mim ba'dihee min jundim minas-samaaa'i wa maa kunnaa munzileen
﴾29﴿ In kaanat illaa saihatanw waahidatan fa-izaa hum khaamidoon
﴾30﴿ Yaa hasratan 'alal 'ibaaad; maa ya'teehim mir Rasoolin illaa kaanoo bihee yastahzi 'oon

﴾26﴿ It was said (to his soul after his death), Enter Paradise. He said, Oh, how I wish my people knew
﴾27﴿ "For the word by which my Lord has forgiven me and made me among the honored ones
﴾28﴿ "And We did not send down upon his people after him any army from the heaven, nor would We have sent down (such a thing)
﴾29﴿ Their destruction was nothing but a single mighty blast, and suddenly they were lifeless, fallen down
﴾30﴿ Alas for such servants! No messenger comes to them but they mock him

[26] Most commentators have written that the people gathered around this man, beat him severely, tore out his intestines, stoned him, and threw him into a well.
(These people are referred to as Ashāb al-Rass).
They pierced his throat and hanged him in the town square, then sawed him into two pieces—though the details vary, the conclusion is the same: he was martyred.
Since it is established in an authentic hadith that the soul of a martyr enters Paradise, the statement "قِيلَ ادْخُلِ الْجَنَّةَ" (It was said: Enter Paradise) was made.
His body lay lifeless on the earth, but the address was directed to his soul.
When he said "قَالَ يَا لَيْتَ" (He said: Oh, how I wish...), he was in Paradise and wished that his people would believe—
this shows the highest level of sincerity and selflessness he had, even after being killed by them.
[27] "بِمَا غَفَرَ لِي"—the meaning here refers to the matter of tawḥīd (monotheism), which is the reason for forgiveness and honor.
He is expressing sorrow that his people have no knowledge or belief in this matter, which is the true cause of salvation.
[28] In this verse, the destruction of his people is mentioned in a tone of humiliation and insignificance.
Allah the Exalted is saying: I did not need any army to destroy them; in comparison to My power, they are worth less than even a single wing.
"وَمَا كُنَّا مُنْزِلِينَ"—this means: It is not Our way or habit to send down armies to destroy a people.
If someone asks: But in the battles of Badr, Ahzab, and Hunayn, weren’t angels sent and referred to as armies (junūd)?
The answer is: Destruction is of two types:
1. Mass destruction of an entire nation at once—this is what the verse refers to, and for this Allah does not send armies.
2. Limited destruction in a state of battle—in such cases, Allah sends angels as support and aid, not for complete annihilation.
And Allah the Exalted is the All-Wise and All-Knowing in how He deals with His creation.
[29] In this verse, the punishment of that nation is mentioned. Commentators have written that Jibrā’īl (peace be upon him) came, took hold of the gates of their city, and let out a terrifying sound—due to which they all died.
The word "خَامِدُونَ" (extinguished) is a simile to fire being put out—meaning, their pride, arrogance, and fury were extinguished like a fire that burns out and turns to ashes.
Note: Most commentators have written that these messengers were envoys sent by ʿĪsā (peace be upon him) to the city of Antakiyah (Antioch), and that later, a believing shepherd (رَجُلٌ مُؤْمِن) joined them and was martyred.
Then the punishment—a loud cry—was sent upon that city.
To support this, a hadith is quoted and attributed as marfūʿ (raised to the Prophet) by Zamakhsharī in al-Kashshāf, but Ibn Kathīr refutes it with several strong points:
1. The wording of the verses, such as "إِذْ أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْهِمُ", "فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ", and "إِنَّا إِلَيْكُم مُّرْسَلُونَ", clearly indicate that these were messengers sent by Allah, not just human envoys of ʿĪsā (peace be upon him).
2. The people objected to them saying, "إِنْ أَنتُمْ إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا" (You are nothing but human like us)—such an objection would not apply to mere messengers of a prophet, but rather to those claiming Prophethood themselves.
3. Historical records mention that Antakiyah (Antioch) was among the first four cities to embrace faith in ʿĪsā (peace be upon him)—the four being Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Rome.
If they believed, why then would they be destroyed?
4. In the tafsīr of verse 43 of Surah Al-Qaṣaṣ, it is narrated from many early scholars that after the revelation of the Torah, no nation was subjected to total destruction.
Yet this verse clearly states that the entire town was destroyed.
As for the ḥadīths mentioned in Ṭabarānī and Zamakhsharī, they are considered weak and rejected because their chain includes Ḥusayn ibn Ḥusayn al-Ashqar, a Shīʿī narrator who has been abandoned by hadith scholars.
Therefore, it is concluded that this incident likely relates to a nation that existed before Mūsā (peace be upon him), and it is possible that the name of that town was also Antakiyah.
[30] "يَا حَسْرَةً عَلَى الْعِبَادِ"—Here, a question arises: How is “ḥasrah” (regret/sorrow) appropriate for Allah the Exalted, when ḥasrah implies remorse or helplessness, which cannot apply to Allah?
There are several responses to this: 1. First answer: According to a narration from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them), “ḥasrah” here means woe or destruction (i.e., "وَيلٌ"), not regret. So it is an expression of warning and pity for the condition of the servants—not a feeling attributed to Allah.
2. Second answer: This is not a statement from Allah about Himself, but rather a reporting of the regret of the servants themselves.
In other words, this is the state of the servants, who at such a time (of punishment or realization) will express deep regret and sorrow for their denial and rejection of the truth.