وَقَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا ٱللَّهُ أَوْ تَأْتِينَآ ءَايَةٌ ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ قَالَ ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِم مِّثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ ۘ تَشَـٰبَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا ٱلْـَٔايَـٰتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ 118
Translations
Those who do not know say, "Why does Allāh not speak to us or there come to us a sign?" Thus spoke those before them like their words. Their hearts resemble each other. We have shown clearly the signs to a people who are certain [in faith].
Transliteration
Wa-qāla alladhīna lā ya'lamūna law-lā yukallimunā allāhu aw ta'tīnā āyah. Kadhālika qāla alladhīna min qablihim mithla qawlihim. Tashābahat qulūbuhum. Qad bayannā al-āyāti liqawmin yūqinūn.
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah addresses those who stubbornly demand direct speech from Allah or miraculous signs as proof, despite the clear signs already presented. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir note that such demands reflect spiritual blindness and hardened hearts—the same arrogance exhibited by previous nations who rejected their prophets. Allah emphasizes that He has made His signs abundantly clear, but they only benefit those with certainty and sincere hearts (yūqinūn) who are willing to reflect and accept.
Revelation Context
This ayah appears in the Medinan period within Surah Al-Baqarah's section addressing Jewish and Arab skeptics in Medina who demanded tangible proof despite the Qur'an's miracles and the Prophet's clear message. The context follows verses about those who mock belief and those who test Allah's patience, reflecting the challenges the Muslim community faced from those refusing to accept the message.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (Book of Tawheed): The Prophet ﷺ said, 'The most perfect believers are those with the most perfect manners, and the best of you are those who are best to their wives.' This relates thematically to sincerity required for accepting divine signs. Also relevant: Muslim's collection on divine signs being manifest to the believing heart.
Themes
Key Lesson
True guidance is not merely about external signs and demands, but about the readiness of the heart to accept truth; Allah has provided abundant evidence of His oneness, and rejection stems from spiritual heedlessness rather than lack of proof. Modern believers should examine their own hearts for sincerity and genuine seeking rather than making excuses for disbelief, and should trust that divine signs are evident to those with open hearts.
Related Ayahs
فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ ۗ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ ۖ قُلْ إِصْلَاحٌ لَّهُمْ خَيْرٌ ۖ وَإِن تُخَالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِ ۚ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
To this world and the Hereafter. And they ask you about orphans. Say, "Improvement for them is best. And if you mix your affairs with theirs - they are your brothers. And Allāh knows the corrupter from the amender. And if Allāh had willed, He could have put you in difficulty. Indeed, Allāh is Exalted in Might and Wise."
وَلَتَجِدَنَّهُمْ أَحْرَصَ ٱلنَّاسِ عَلَىٰ حَيَوٰةٍ وَمِنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَشْرَكُوا۟ ۚ يَوَدُّ أَحَدُهُمْ لَوْ يُعَمَّرُ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ وَمَا هُوَ بِمُزَحْزِحِهِۦ مِنَ ٱلْعَذَابِ أَن يُعَمَّرَ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ بَصِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَعْمَلُونَ
And you will surely find them the most greedy of people for life - [even] more than those who associate others with Allāh. One of them wishes that he could be granted life a thousand years, but it would not remove him in the least from the [coming] punishment that he should be granted life. And Allāh is Seeing of what they do.
وَلَقَدْ ءَاتَيْنَا مُوسَى ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَقَفَّيْنَا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦ بِٱلرُّسُلِ ۖ وَءَاتَيْنَا عِيسَى ٱبْنَ مَرْيَمَ ٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ وَأَيَّدْنَـٰهُ بِرُوحِ ٱلْقُدُسِ ۗ أَفَكُلَّمَا جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌۢ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَىٰٓ أَنفُسُكُمُ ٱسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ
And We did certainly give Moses the Scripture [i.e., the Torah] and followed up after him with messengers. And We gave Jesus, the son of Mary, clear proofs and supported him with the Pure Spirit [i.e., the angel Gabriel]. But is it [not] that every time a messenger came to you, [O Children of Israel], with what your souls did not desire, you were arrogant? And a party [of messengers] you denied and another party you killed.
ٱلشَّهْرُ ٱلْحَرَامُ بِٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ وَٱلْحُرُمَـٰتُ قِصَاصٌ ۚ فَمَنِ ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ فَٱعْتَدُوا۟ عَلَيْهِ بِمِثْلِ مَا ٱعْتَدَىٰ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَّقِينَ
[Battle in] the sacred month is for [aggression committed in] the sacred month, and for [all] violations is legal retribution. So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear Allāh and know that Allāh is with those who fear Him.