Al-Qur'an Surah Al-Mulk Verse 5

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And We have decorated the nearest sky with lamps, and have made them devices to stone the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of Hell.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And indeed, We adorned the lowest heaven with ˹stars like˺ lamps, and made them ˹as missiles˺ for stoning ˹eavesdropping˺ devils, for whom We have also prepared the torment of the Blaze.[[ See {72:8}-10.]] 

Ruwwad Translation Center

We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and have made them as missiles to stone the devils, and We have prepared for them the punishment of the Blazing Fire.

A. J. Arberry

And We adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and made them things to stone Satans; and We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blaze.

Abdul Haleem

We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps and made them [missiles] for stoning devils for whom We have also prepared the torment of a blazing fire.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And assuredly We have bedecked the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles for satans: and for them We have gotten ready the torment of the Blaze.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

And we have, (from of old), adorned the lowest heaven with Lamps, and We have made such (Lamps) (as) missiles to drive away the Evil Ones, and have prepared for them the Penalty of the Blazing Fire.

Abul Ala Maududi

We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and have made them a means to drive away the satans. We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blazing Fire.

Ahmed Ali

We have adorned the lowest sky with lamps, and made them missiles against the devils, for whom We have prepared a torment of most intense fire.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And indeed We have beautified the lower heaven with lamps, and have made them weapons against the devils, and have kept prepared for them the punishment of the blazing fire.

Ali Quli Qarai

We have certainly adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and made them [the means of pelting] missiles against the devils, and We have prepared for them a punishment of the Blaze.

Ali Ünal

And, indeed, We have adorned the lowest heaven (the heaven of the world) with lamps (stars), and made (out of) them missiles to drive away devils; and for them We have prepared (in the Hereafter) the punishment of the Blaze.

Amatul Rahman Omar

We have, certainly, adorned the lowest heaven with (stars-like) lamps and We have made them as means of conjecture for the evil ones (and the astrologers who invent good or bad omens from the movement of the stars). (Remember) We have prepared for these (soothesayers) the punishment of the blazing Fire.

English Literal

And We had decorated/beautified, the sky/space (of) the present world with lights/stars , and We made it meteorites/shooting stars for the devils, and We prepared/made ready for them the/blazing/inflamed (inferno) torture.

Faridul Haque

And indeed We have beautified the lower heaven with lamps, and have made them weapons against the devils, and have kept prepared for them the punishment of the blazing fire.

Hamid S. Aziz

And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We have made these missiles for Satan, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning.

Hilali & Khan

And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin (devils), and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

When they are cast therein, they will hear a loud moaning of it as it heaves,

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And certainly We have adorned this lower heaven with lamps and We have made these missiles for the Shaitans, and We have prepared for them the chastisement of burning.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And verily We have beautified the world's heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles for the devils, and for them We have prepared the doom of flame.

Muhammad Sarwar

We have decked the lowest heavens with torches. With these torches We have stoned the devils and We have prepared for them the torment of hell.

Qaribullah & Darwish

We have adorned the lower heaven with lamps, and We made them a stoning for the satans, We have prepared the punishment of the Blaze for them.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps, and We have made such lamps (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin, and have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.

Wahiduddin Khan

We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made them for driving away devils. For them We have prepared the punishment of the blazing Fire.

Talal Itani

We have adorned the lower heaven with lanterns, and made them missiles against the devils; and We have prepared for them the punishment of the Blaze.

Tafsir jalalayn

And verily We have adorned the lowest heaven, the one closest to the earth, with lamps, with stars, and made them missiles against the devils, should they [attempt to] listen by stealth, in which case a meteor of fire detaches itself from the star, just like a brand is taken from a fire, and either kills that jinn or deprives him of his senses; it is not that the star itself is displaced from its position; and We have prepared for them the chastisement of the Blaze, the ignited Fire.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

وَلَقَدْ زَيَّنَّا السَّمَاء الدُّنْيَا بِمَصَابِيحَ

And indeed We have adorned the nearest heaven with lamps,

This refers to the stars which have been placed in the heavens, some moving and some stationary.

In Allah's statement,

وَجَعَلْنَاهَا رُجُومًا لِّلشَّيَاطِينِ

and We have made them (as) missiles to drive away the Shayatin,

The pronoun `them' in His statement, "and We have made them" is the same type of statement as the stars being referred to as lamps. This does not mean that they are actually missiles, because the stars in the sky are not thrown. Rather, it is the meteors beneath them that are thrown and they are taken from the stars. And Allah knows best.

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَأَعْتَدْنَا لَهُمْ عَذَابَ السَّعِيرِ




and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire.

means, `We have made this disgrace for the devils in this life and We have prepared for them the torment of the blazing Fire in the Hereafter.'

This is as Allah said in the beginning of Surah As-Saffat,

إِنَّا زَيَّنَّا السَّمَأءَ الدُّنْيَا بِزِينَةٍ الْكَوَكِبِ

وَحِفْظاً مِّن كُلِّ شَيْطَـنٍ مَّارِدٍ

لااَّ يَسَّمَّعُونَ إِلَى الْمَلاِ الااٌّعْلَى وَيُقْذَفُونَ مِن كُلِّ جَانِبٍ

دُحُوراً وَلَهُمْ عَذابٌ وَاصِبٌ

إِلاَّ مَنْ خَطِفَ الْخَطْفَةَ فَأَتْبَعَهُ شِهَابٌ ثَاقِبٌ

Verily, We have adorned the near heaven with the stars (for beauty). And to guard against every rebellious devil. They cannot listen to the higher group (angels) for they are pelted from every side. Outcast, and theirs is a constant (or painful) torment. Except such as snatch away something by stealing, and they are pursued by a flaming fire of piercing brightness. (37;6-10)
Qatadah said,
"These stars were only created for three purposes;

- Allah created them as adornment for the heaven (sky),

- as missiles for the devils and

- as signs for navigation.

Therefore, whoever seeks to interpret any other meanings for them other than these, then verily he has spoken with his own opinion, he has lost his portion and burdened himself with that which he has no knowledge of."
Ibn Jarir and Ibn Abi Hatim both recorded this statement