Question Summary:
Can you please clarify the following verse in Surah al- Mulk?

Question Detail:

I would like clarification on the Ayah in Surah al- Mulk where Allah says, “And indeed we have adorned the nearest Heaven with lamps”. According to my understanding, I know of various cases where the Heavens are either mentioned as skies or atmospheres, as well as the universe. However, I don’t seem to understand how the stars are described as being in the nearest heaven, since stars are completely out of our atmosphere.

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 
As-salāmu `alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
The verse in reference is:
و لقد زينا السماء الدنيا بمصابيح و جعلناها رجوما للشياطين و اعتدنا لهم عذاب السعير
 
 
 “And indeed we have embellished the lowest heaven with lamps, and we have made them (to serve) as missiles to drive away the devils, and we have prepared for them the punishment of the blazing fire” (Al Qur’aan, 5:67)
Haafiz Ibn Katheer (Rahmatullahi Alayhi), a great Mufassir (exegete), states that “The actual stars are not meant, rather flaming meteors/pulsars are meant which are from other sources or derived from it”.[1] 
The above explanation clearly elucidates that the actual stars are not meant, rather the pulsars and meteors which emanate from them are meant.
For more details on the concept of Shooting stars, Pulsars and Meteorites, kindly refer to the following link: http://daruliftaa.net/General-Islamic/shootingstar.html
And Allah knows best.
 
Mawlana Ismail Desai,
Durban, South Africa
Student Darul Iftaa
Faculty of speciality in Tafseer and Qura’nic sciences
(Takhassuss Fil Tafseer)
 
Checked and Approved 
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
daruliftaa.net