Popular Translations
Muhammad Asad
But the great ones among his people, who refused to acknowledge the truth, replied: “This [man] is nothing but a mortal like yourselves who wants to make himself superior to you! For, if God had willed [to convey a message unto us], He would surely have sent down angels; [moreover,] we have never heard [anything like] this from our forebears of old
Arthur John Arberry
Said the Council of the unbelievers of his people, 'This is naught but a mortal like yourselves, who desires to gain superiority over you. And if God willed, He would have sent down angels. We never heard of this among, our fathers, the ancients
Yusuf Ali (Saudi Rev. 1985)
The chiefs of the Unbelievers among his people said: "He is no more than a man like yourselves: his wish is to assert his superiority over you: if Allah had wished (to send messengers), He could have sent down angels; never did we hear such a thing (as he says), among our ancestors of old."
Arabic
فَقَالَ ٱلۡمَلَؤُا۟ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ مِن قَوۡمِهِۦ مَا هَـٰذَاۤ إِلَّا بَشَرࣱ مِّثۡلُكُمۡ یُرِیدُ أَن یَتَفَضَّلَ عَلَیۡكُمۡ وَلَوۡ شَاۤءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَنزَلَ مَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةࣰ مَّا سَمِعۡنَا بِهَـٰذَا فِیۤ ءَابَاۤىِٕنَا ٱلۡأَوَّلِینَ ٢٤
Transliteration (2021)
faqāla l-mala-u alladhīna kafarū min qawmihi mā hādhā illā basharun mith'lukum yurīdu an yatafaḍḍala ʿalaykum walaw shāa l-lahu la-anzala malāikatan mā samiʿ'nā bihādhā fī ābāinā l-awalīn