Tafseer of The Winnowing Winds · Adh-Dhaariyat · 51:52
Similarly, there came not to those before them any messenger except that they said, "A magician or a madman."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
The explanation of the words of the Exalted: كَذَلِكَ مَا أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلا قَالُوا سَاحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ (52) ("Likewise, there came to those before them no messenger except that they said: 'A sorcerer or one possessed'") (52:52)
He, exalted is His mention, says: just as the Quraysh denied their prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and said: he is a poet, or a sorcerer or one possessed, so too did the peoples who denied their messengers — those upon whom Allah brought down His vengeance — such as the people of Nūḥ, ʿĀd and Thamūd, and Pharaoh and his people. To this people whom we have mentioned, before them — that is: before the Quraysh, the people of Muḥammad ﷺ — there came no messenger except that they said: a sorcerer or one possessed, just as the Quraysh said against Muḥammad ﷺ.
