Translation of the meanings Ayah 118 Surah Al-Baqarah - English Translation - Dr. Waleed Bleyhesh Omary - The Noble Qur'an Encyclopedia

Ayah: 118

وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ لَوۡلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا ٱللَّهُ أَوۡ تَأۡتِينَآ ءَايَةٞۗ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِهِم مِّثۡلَ قَوۡلِهِمۡۘ تَشَٰبَهَتۡ قُلُوبُهُمۡۗ قَدۡ بَيَّنَّا ٱلۡأٓيَٰتِ لِقَوۡمٖ يُوقِنُونَ

(118) Those who have no knowledge^[167] also said: “If only Allah would talk to us or a Sign would come to us”. The same was said by those who came before them; their hearts are alike^[168]. We have made the Signs clear to those who firmly Believe^[169].

[167] These are Arab pagans, elsewhere called ‘the illiterates’ (cf. 3: 20). (Ibn Kathīr, Ibn ʿĀshūr)
[168] The hearts of the Deniers of the Message are alike. The three examples of acts of Denial, spelled out in Ayas 114-119, i.e. persecuting Believers and denying them their right of worship, claiming that God has an offspring and toyingly asking their Prophets for proofs and miracles without seriously intending to Believe in them (for more of this cf. 6: 124, 17: 90-93), are meant to show that Deniers, old and new, ignorant or having a revealed Book that should guide them to the Truth, are one and the same. Their driving forces and motives are similar (cf. 51: 52-53).
[169] If a person’s heart is smitten with the disease of Denial it shows through their actions irrespective of all other considerations. Conversely, those who open up their hearts to the Truth will find ample evidence for it.