In أَتْبَعَ نَفْسَهُ هَوَاهَا, أَتْبَعَ means “made follow,” and هَوَاهَا means “its desire”; the pronoun هَا refers to the self (نَفْس). وَتَمَنَّى عَلَى اللَّهِ describes relying on mere wishes.
Hope differs from neglect. One person regrets a mistake, seeks to correct it, and hopes for Allah’s mercy. Another knowingly continues to wrong others while claiming no change is necessary. The first combines hope with action; the second relies on wishful thinking.
Repeated weakness despite sincere effort is not automatically the deliberate neglect condemned here.