عتب

10 استعتبهُ ذ He asked him, petitioned him, or solicited him, to grant him his good will, or favour; to regard him with good will, or favour; to become well pleased, content, or satisfied, with him; (S, O, K;) or he desired, or sought, of him that he should return to making him happy, or to doing what was pleasing to him, from doing evil to him. (S.) And استعتب, alone, He asked, solicited, sought, or desired, good will, or favour; or to be regarded with good will, or favour. (S, Msb.) وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ, in the Kur xvi. 86, and xxx. 57, and xlv. 34. means Nor shall they be asked to return to what will please God. (Jel.) And وَاـِنْ يَسْتَعْتِبُوا فَمَا هُمْ مِنَ ا@لْمُعْتَبِينَ, in the Kur xli. 23, means And if they solicit God's favour, they shall not be regarded with favour: (Jel:) or if they petition their Lord to cancel their compact, [or to restore them to the world, He will not do so; i. e.] He will not restore them to the world; (O, K, TA;) knowing that, if they were restored, they would return to that which they have been forbidden to do: this is the meaning if we read the verb in the active form: otherwise, (O, TA,) reading يُسْتَعْتَبُوا [and مُعْتِبِينَ], as 'Obeyd Ibn-'Omeyr did, (O,) the meaning is, If God cancelled their compact, and restored them to the world, they would not [ return from their evil ways, and ] act obediently to God: (O, TA:) [for] ― -b2- اِسْتَعْتَبْتُهُ also signifies I asked him, or desired him, to cancel a bargain, or compact, with me. (TA.) -A2- See also 4, in three places.