All Messengers met the Same Type of Denial from Their Nations
Allah comforts His Prophet by saying to Him, `just as these idolators denied you, the disbelievers of old used the same words with their Messengers,'
كَذَلِكَ مَآ أَتَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ مِّن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ قَالُواْ سَـحِرٌ أَوْ مَجْنُونٌ
(Likewise, no Messenger came to those before them but they said: "A sorcerer or a madman!") Allah the Exalted and Most Honored said,
أَتَوَاصَوْاْ بِهِ
(Have they transmitted this saying to these), meaning, have those of the past taught these words to the people of the present
بَلْ هُمْ قَوْمٌ طَـغُونَ
(Nay, they are themselves a people transgressing beyond bounds!) They are tyrannical people whose hearts are the same. Therefore, the latter said the same as those before them have said. Allah the Exalted said,
Continue reading the tafsir of ayahs 52–60 فَفِرُّوا إِلَى اللَّـهِ (So flee to Allah....51:50). Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ said: "It means: Flee from your sins and take shelter in Allah for repentance." Abu Bakr Warraq and Junaid Baghdadi رحمۃ اللہ علیہما said that the base self of man and the devil invite him to commit sins, and they deceive him. He needs to take refuge in Allah who will protect him against their evil. (Qurtubi)
Tazkirul Quran
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
If a serious man demands reasoning in support of any point at issue, he will concede to it if the argument presented is convincing. But those who are arrogant by nature, are never so persuaded. They will find some fresh excuse to reject the argument. Even if some proposition which cannot be countered is put forward, they will ignore it, saying that it is ‘magic’. This is the attitude of those who have reached a high status in their community. Their consciousness of being great becomes an impediment to their acceptance of the Truth as asserted by others. If such people reject the call for Truth, the preacher should not be disheartened. He will find supporters among others who are free of any false sense of prestige.
Uthmani text of the Madinah mushaf (King Fahd Complex). Translation: Saheeh International. Tafsir via Quran.com.