تَبِعَهُ
1.
, (S, Mgh, Msb, K, &c.,) aorist
تَبَعَ
, verbal noun تَبَعٌ (S, Msb, K) and تَبَاعَةٌ, (S, K,) He followed; or went, or walked, behind, or after; (S, Mgh, Msb, K;) him, (Mgh, Msb, K,) or it; namely, a people, or company of men: (S:) or [in the CK “ and ”] he went with him, or it, when the latter had passed by him: (S, Mgh, Msb, K:) and
اِتَّبَعَهُ signifies the same; (Lth, S, K *) and so does
أَتْبَعَهُ: (Lth, Mgh, K:) or
أَتْبَعْتُهُمْ signifies I overtook them, they having gone before me; (Fr, * A'Obeyd, S, Msb, * K;) as also تَبِعْتُهُمْ: (Fr, K:) Akh says that تَبِعْتُهُ and
أَتْبَعْتُهُ signify the same: and hence the saying in the Qur'an, 37:10, شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ
فَأَتْبَعَهُ [and a shooting star piercing the darkness by its light overtaketh him]: (S:) and the saying in the same [vii. 174],
فَأَتْبَعَهُ
الشَّيْطَانُ
and the devil overtook him: (TA:) and the saying in the same [xx. 81], فِرْعَوْنُ
فَأَتْبَعَهُمْ
بِجُنُودِهِ
and Pharaoh overtook them with his troops: or almost did so: (Ibn-'Arafeh, K:) or this signifies made his troops to follow them; (TA;) the ب, according to some, being redundant: (Bd:) or
أَتْبَعَهُ signifies he followed his footsteps; and sought him, following him: (TA:) but
اِتَّبَعَهُمْ signifies he went [after them, or followed them,] when they had passed by him; as also تَبِعَهُمْ, verbal noun تَبَعٌ: you say,
حَتَّى أَتْبَعْتُهُمْ
مَا زِلْتُ أَتَّبِعُهُمْ, i. e. [I ceased not to follow them] until I overtook them: (A'Obeyd:) Fr says that
أَتْبَعَ is better than
اِتَّبَعَ; for the latter signifies he went behind, or after, him, when the latter person was going along; but when you say,
أَتْبَعْتُهُ, it is as though [you meant that] you followed his footsteps: (TA:) and
فُلَانٌ فُلَانًا
اِتَّبَعَ [as in the L and TA, but perhaps a mistake for
أَتْبَعَ,] signifies also he followed him, desiring to do evil to him; like as Pharaoh followed Moses: (L, TA:) some say, تَبِعْتُ الشَّىْءَ, verbal noun تُبُوعٌ, meaning I went after the thing: and تَبِعَ الشَّىْءَ, verbal noun تَبَعٌ and تَبَاعٌ, (assumed tropical:) [he followed the thing] in respect of actions: (L, TA:) you say, تَبِعَ الإِمَامَ (assumed tropical:) he followed the Imám [by doing as he did]: (Msb:) [but in this last sense, more commonly,] one says,
اِتَّبَعَهُ, meaning (assumed tropical:) he did like as he [another] did: (TA:) and القُرْانَ
اِتَّبَعَ (assumed tropical:) he followed the Qur'an as his guide; did according to what is in it: (TA:) and you say also, عَلَى الأَمْرِ
تَابَعَهُ; (Msb;) or على كَذَا, verbal noun مُتَابَعَةٌ and تِبَاعٌ; (S;) (assumed tropical:) [he followed him, or imitated him, in the affair;] (Msb;) he followed him, or imitated him, in doing such a thing: (PS:) [but this last phrase has another meaning: see 3.] In the saying, لَا يُتْبَعُ بِنَارٍ إِلَى القَبْرِ, [in which the verb may be pass. of تَبِعَ or of
أَتْبَعَ,] or, according to one relation,
لا يُتَّبَعُ, each in the pass. form, [Fire shall not be made to follow to the grave, though it may be rendered one shall not follow with fire to the grave, it is said that] the ب is to render the verb transitive. (Mgh.)
2.
تَبِعْتُ الرَّجُلَ بِحَقِّى; and بِهِ
تَابَعْتُهُ, verbal noun مُتَابَعَةٌ [and probably تبَاعٌ also]; and به
اِتَّبَعْتُهُ; I prosecuted, or sued, the man for my right, or due. (TA.) The saying in the Qur'an, 2:173, بِالْمَعْرُوفِ
فَاتِّبَاعٌ means [Then] prosecution for the bloodwit [shall be made with lenity]. (TA.)