َ وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِلشَّيَاطِينِ وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ ﴿۵﴾ وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ عَذَابُ جَهَنَّمَ وَبِئْسَ الْمَصِيرُ ﴿۶﴾ إِذَا أُلْقُوا فِيهَا سَمِعُوا لَهَا شَهِيقًا وَهِيَ تَفُورُ ﴿۷﴾ تَكَادُ تَمَيَّزُ مِنَ الْغَيْظِ كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ سَأَلَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَا أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ نَذِيرٌ ﴿۸﴾

﴾5﴿ Wa laqad zaiyannas samaaa'ad dunyaa bimasaa beeha wa ja'alnaahaa rujoomal lish shayaateeni wa a'tadnaa lahum 'azaabas sa'eer
﴾6﴿ Wa lillazeena kafaroo bi rabbihim 'azaabu jahannama wa bi'sal maseer
﴾7﴿ Izaaa ulqoo feehaa sami'oo lahaa shaheeqanw wa hiya tafoor
﴾8﴿ Takaadu tamayyazu minal ghaizz kullamaaa ulqiya feehaa fawjun sa alahum khazanatuhaaa alam ya'tikum nazeer

﴾5﴿ And indeed, We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We made them missiles against the devils, and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire
﴾6﴿ And those who disbelieve in their Lord—for them is the punishment of Hell, and what a terrible destination it is
﴾7﴿ When they are thrown into it, they will hear its roaring, while it boils up
﴾8﴿ It is nearly bursting with rage. Every time a group is thrown into it, its keepers will ask them, Did no warner come to you

[5] This is another rational proof that includes additional heavenly blessings: the adornment (zīnah) of the sky and the pelting of devils, which serves to protect the heavens and preserve revelation from being distorted by soothsayers. These are both worldly and religious blessings—external and internal.
(السَّمَاءَ الدُّنْيَا)—“the lowest heaven”—its details are discussed at the beginning of Surah al-Ṣāffāt. From the outward meaning, it appears that stars are not found in the higher heavens, only in the lowest one.
(بِمَصَابِيحَ)—“with lamps,” i.e., stars. The wandering stars (planets) are below the heaven in their own orbits, while the fixed stars are within the heaven itself. A third opinion says that all stars are below the heaven.
(وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِلشَّيَاطِينِ)—“We made them missiles against the devils.” The devils referred to here are from the jinn who try to eavesdrop on the angels to bring news to the soothsayers, mixing that truth with lies—as mentioned in hadith.
Question: If stars are used to strike devils, doesn’t that ruin the beauty of the sky?
Answer: No—the striking happens through a flame that is separated from the star, called a shihāb (shooting star). The star itself remains in its place, intact.
(وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ)—“We have prepared for them”—this refers to their punishment in the Hereafter.
(سَعِيرًا)—means a blazing, intensely burning fire—derived from musʿarah, i.e., something fiercely ignited.
[6,7] From (أَعْتَدْنَا) to verse 11, eight terrifying aspects of the Hereafter are mentioned.
(وَلِلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِرَبِّهِمْ)—refers to those who associate partners in the giving of blessings, i.e., those who believe anyone besides Allah is the source of blessings.
(إِذَا أُلْقُوا فِيهَا)—“When they are thrown into it”—the casting into Hell will be like throwing firewood into a blazing fire from a distance.
(سَمِعُوا لَهَا شَهِيقًا)—“they will hear it breathing heavily”—In Surah Hūd (11:106), both zafīr and shahīq are mentioned for the inhabitants of Hell. Here, shahīq is attributed to Hell itself, indicating that both Hell makes roaring and gasping sounds, and so do its inhabitants.
(وَهِيَ تَفُورُ)—“while it boils up”—like a boiling cauldron with something cooking inside, Hell will rage and boil intensely from extreme heat.
[8] This is a figurative expression indicating extreme anger, and all these descriptions of Hell are to be understood literally. Allah, the Exalted, has full power to create such attributes within the Fire.
(كُلَّمَا أُلْقِيَ فِيهَا فَوْجٌ)—“Whenever a group is thrown into it”—this describes the state of Hell after the state of its inhabitants has been mentioned. It points out that the disbelievers will have no excuse, and the reason for their punishment is clear: a warner had come to them, but they denied him.
(فَوْجٌ)—“a group”—this shows that the inhabitants of Hell will enter in different groups, as mentioned in Surah al-Naba’ (78:18) “afwājan” and in Surah al-Naml (27:83) as well.
(سَأَلَهُمْ)—“it will ask them”—this questioning is for the purpose of establishing the proof against them, as seen in Surah Ghāfir (40:50).
(نَذِيرٌ)—“a warner”—refers to a prophet or the prophet’s deputies (those who convey his message). This implies that Allah does not punish without sending a messenger or someone to convey His message.