Generally Accepted Translations of the Meaning
Muhammad Asad
[But] thus it is: never yet came any apostle to those who lived before their time but they said, “spellbinder [is he], or a madman!”
M. M. Pickthall
Even so there came no messenger unto those before them but they said: A wizard or a madman
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
Similarly, no messenger came to the Peoples before them, but they said (of him) in like manner, "A sorcerer, or one possessed"
The Clear Quran, Dr. Mustafa Khattab
Similarly, no messenger came to those before them without being told: “A magician or a madman!”
Safi Kaskas
Similarly, every time a messenger came to those before them, they said, "A magician or a madman."
Wahiduddin Khan
Likewise, there came no messenger to those before them, but they said, He is a sorcerer or a madman
Shakir
Thus there did not come to those before them a messenger but they said: A magician or a mad man
Dr. Laleh Bakhtiar
There approached not those who were before them any Messenger but that they said: One who is a sorcerer or one who is possessed!
T.B.Irving
Thus no messenger ever came to those who preceded them unless they said: ´[He´s] a magician or a madman!´
Abdul Hye
Likewise, whenever a Messenger came to those before them, they said: “A sorcerer or a madman!”
The Study Quran
Likewise, there came no messenger unto those before them, but that they said, “A sorcerer or one possessed.
Talal Itani & AI (2024)
Likewise, no messenger came to those before them, but they said, “A magician, or a madman.”
Talal Itani (2012)
Likewise, no messenger came to those before them, but they said, 'A sorcerer or a madman.'
Dr. Kamal Omar
Likewise, there did not come to those before them, out of a Messenger, but they said (about him): “A sorcerer or a fanatic.”
It has been the case that whenever a Messenger came to the peoples before them, they said about him: "He is a sorcerer or a madman."
Muhammad Mahmoud Ghali
Thus in no way did (any) Messenger come up to the ones even before them except that they said, "A sorcerer or a madman."
Muhammad Sarwar
In the same way no Messenger came to those who lived before them without his people calling him a magician or an insane person
Muhammad Taqi Usmani
In similar way, no messenger came to those before them, but they said, .(He is) a magician or a madman
Shabbir Ahmed
But, thus it is. No Messenger came to those before their time, but they said, "A wizard or a madman!"
Dr. Munir Munshey
Thus, the same was said about every messenger who came before them, "(He is) a magician! A lunatic!"
Syed Vickar Ahamed
Like this, no messenger came to the peoples before them, but they said (of him) in like manner, an (evil) magician, or a madman
Similarly, there came not to those before them any messenger except that they said, "A magician or a madman."
[The Monotheist Group] (2011 Edition)
Likewise, when a messenger went to those before them, they said: "A magician, or crazy."
Abdel Haleem
Every previous people to whom a messenger was sent also said, ‘A sor-cerer, or maybe a madman!’
Abdul Majid Daryabadi
Likewise, there came not an apostle Unto those before them but they said: a magician or a madman
Ahmed Ali
Even thus no apostle came to those before them but they said: "He is a sorcerer or a mad man."
Aisha Bewley
Equally, no Messenger came to those before them without their saying, ´A magician or a madman!´
Ali Ünal
Similarly, no Messenger came to the peoples who lived before them but they said of him (in like manner): "A sorcerer or a madman."
Ali Quli Qara'i
So it was that there did not come to those who were before them any apostle but they said, ‘A magician,’ or ‘A crazy man!’
Hamid S. Aziz
Thus there did not come to those before them a messenger but they said, "(He is) A sorcerer or a mad man."
Ali Bakhtiari Nejad
Similarly, no messenger came to those before them unless they said: “A magician or a madman.”
A.L. Bilal Muhammad et al (2018)
Similarly, no messenger came to the peoples before them, except that they said of him in like manner, “A deceiver, or one possessed.
Musharraf Hussain
This is exactly what previous people did when a messenger was sent, they called him “a magician or a mad man.”
Maududi
Thus has it been (in the past): never did a Messenger come to the nations that preceded them but they said: "(He is) a sorcerer, or a mad-man."
[The Monotheist Group] (2013 Edition)
Likewise, when a messenger went to those before them, they said: "A magician, or crazy."
Mohammad Shafi
Never did a Messenger come to those that preceded them but they called him a magician or a mad-man. Likewise
Controversial or status undetermined works
Ahmed Raza Khan (Barelvi)
In the same way, whenever any Messenger came to those before them, they said only 'a magician or a madman'.
Consistently, when a messenger went to the previous generations, they said, "Magician," or, "Crazy."
Hasan Al-Fatih Qaribullah
Similarly, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: 'Sorcerer, or mad!
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Thus there came not a messenger to those before them but they said: An enchanter or a madman
Muhammad Ahmed & Samira
As/like that none from a messenger came to those from before them except (that) they said: "A magician/sorcerer, or mad/insane."
Bijan Moeinian
This is a trend: whenever a Prophet is sent to a people, they would say: “He is a crazy magician.”
Faridul Haque
Similarly, whenever a Noble Messenger came to those before them they always said, “He is a magician or a madman.”
Sher Ali
Even so there came no Messenger to those before them, but they said, `A sorcerer or a madman.
Dr. Mohammad Tahir-ul-Qadri
Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them, but they said the same: ‘(This is) a magician or a madman.
Amatul Rahman Omar
Even so, no Messenger came to their predecessors but they said, `(He is) a sorcerer, or (rather) a madman
Muhsin Khan & Muhammad al-Hilali
Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them, but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman!"
New, Partial, or In Progress Translations
Fode Drame
Thus never came unto those before them any messenger except that they said, “[He is] a sorcerer or a madman.”
Munir Mezyed
Similarly, no Messenger came to those before them, but they said: “He is either a magician or a lunatic."
Sahib Mustaqim Bleher
Likewise no messenger came to those before them but they said: a magician or possessed.
Linda “iLHam” Barto
In the same way, no messenger came to any people before them without their saying, “A sorcerer or one possessed!”
Fadel Soliman, Bridges‘ Translation
Likewise, no messenger came to those before them but they said, “A sorcerer or a madman.”
Irving & Mohamed Hegab
Thus no messenger ever came to those who preceded them unless they said: '[He's] a magician or a madman!'
Samy Mahdy
Likewise, none among a messenger came to those before them, except they said, “A magician or a madman.”
Ahmed Hulusi
This is (the truth of the matter)! There came not to those before them a Rasul (calling them to Allah, their essential reality), except that they said, “A magician or a madman.”
Mir Aneesuddin
Thus, there did not come to those before them any messenger but they said, “A magician or one influenced by jinn.”
Bear with them O Muhammad; no Messenger that was sent to the people before them but they unjustly labeled him a sorceror or a demoniac
The Wise Quran
Thus a messenger came not to those who were before them except they said, 'A magician or mad.'