فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يَنفَعُ ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ
16:85; 41:25; 45:36.
Important Words:
یستعتبون (allowed to make amends) is derived from عتب. They say عتب علیه i.e. he was angry with him; he reproved or censured him. ماعتبت بابه means, I have not trodden upon the threshold of his door. استعتبه means, he asked, solicited or sought his favour; or he asked or requested him to be regarded with favour or to be taken into his favour or he desired or sought of him that he shall return to making him happy or to doing what was pleasing to him, from doing evil to him; he granted him his goodwill or favour; regarded him with goodwill: became pleased with him. عتبة means, the threshold of a door (Aqrab & Lane). In view of these different meanings of the root word the clause ولاھم یستعتبون would mean:
(a) They will not be allowed to approach the divine threshold. i.e. they will be treated as rejected and condemned;
(b) the time of their punishment having already arrived, they will not be permitted to make amends for the sins they would have committed;
(c) no excuse in their defence will be accepted from them; and
(d) they will not be taken into God’s favour.
16:85; 41:25; 45:36.
The Arabic expression in the text means: (a) They will not be allowed to approach the Divine threshold; (b) they will not be permitted to make amends for the sins they would have committed; (c) no excuse in their defence will be accepted from them; and (d) they will not be taken into God’s favour (Lane). All these meanings are implicit in the root word ‘Ataba.