If my life depended on it I cannot see how I could possibly defend 67:5
"We have beautified the nearest heaven with lamps and we have made them as missiles for the devils."
If you wanna see a moderate Muslims pull a load of exegetical acrobatics then look no further than Muhammad Asad's interpretation of the Qur'an. Seriously, it's pretty damn funny...
[67:5]
And, indeed, We have adorned the skies nearest to the earth with lights, and have made them the object of futile guesses for the evil ones [from among men]: and for them have We readied suffering through a blazing flame
I fully agree with you guys that Q'uran is silly book that is put together 10s of years after the death of a perosn called Muhammad. I am also of the opinion it was put together by more than one person at different time each one not reading what is there in earlier versions. So what you have is confusion.. confusion and confusion if one is trying to understand logic/rational behind it.
Any ways, aftre reading Quran tons of times, I have realized two things., one use the translation of SHAKIR and 2). read atleast 5 verses above and below of the verse that one is trying to understand.
So if we want to look in to that 67.005 ., one must read 67.001 to 67.010 to make any sense out of 67.005.067.001 : Blessed is He in Whose hand is the kingdom, and He has power over all things,
067.002: Who created death and life that He may try you-- which of you is best in deeds; and He is the Mighty, the Forgiving,
067.003: Who created the seven heavens one above another; you see no incongruity in the creation of the Beneficent Allah; then look again, can you see any disorder?
067.004: Then turn back the eye again and again; your look shall '~ come back to you confused while it is fatigued.
067.005: 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.
067.006: And for those who disbelieve in their Lord is the punishment of hell, and evil is the resort.
067.007: When they shall be cast therein, they shall hear a loud moaning of it as it heaves,
067.008: Almost bursting for fury. Whenever a group is cast into it, its keeper shall ask them: Did there not come to you a warner?
067.009: They shall say: Yea! indeed there came to us a warner, but we rejected (him) and said: Allah has not revealed anything, you are only in a great error.
067.010: And they shall say: Had we but listened or pondered, we should not have been among the inmates of the burning fire.
there you go now you tell me the meaning of 67.005.,
The other thing one must realize is that apparently these verses were revealed in Makkah that is before Prophet of Islam migrated to Madina after the death of his first wife Khadija..
Topic: Question for Muslims