Thanks you Duster and Optimist for your responses. This verse, according to my limited knowledge, is the only verse in the Qur’an that uses “Naar = fire” in a ‘good’ sense. Everywhere else, it seems, this word has been used in the sense of heat, or torture, or some form of unwarranted escalation of hostilities. So here’s the ‘hunch’ I referred to in my question: I am currently thinking of two ways by which the word ‘naar = fire’ can be understood in this ayah. One, the use of the word ‘naar’, in 27:8, is a nuance of the Arabic linguistic subtlety that exists in perhaps all languages. Even in English, sometimes we can use the word fire in a ‘good’ sense—such as “the fire of love” or “fire of passion for invention, science, music” etc. In this sense, God may be telling Prophet Musa (as) that he should now consider himself in a ‘fire of trials, or fre of passion for a Higher purpose/mission’, which may be sweltering hot but will ultimately serve as a blessing for him and the Children of Israel. So Prophet Musa is in the ‘fire’ and whosoever else (man haulaha) happens to be involved or affected by this ‘fire’ will also be part of that blessing (alternatively, God is “man haulaha =whosoever is around it”). This meaning of the word “naar” is similar to Asad’s understanding bro Duster referred to. Two, I have been thinking about the fact that even though God describes man being fashioned (originally) from dust/clay, and the Jinn were fashioned from the ‘fire’, I do not see any verse of the Qur’an informing us about the nature of the material angels were created from. I like to submit that the angels and the Jinn—both—were created from fire. However, the fire, as we all know is the energy. It can take many forms, two of the well-known ones being “Heat” and “Light”. Since different forms of energy are interconvertible, Light can be converted to Heat and Heat can be converted to Light when the circumstances call for the interchange. In that vein, God can be considered “Naar” (even though He has described Himself as “Noor = Light-24:35”, and not naar). Thus, while most of the time God’s “Light” aspect of the Naar is dominant (mercy/compassion), His “Heat” aspect is also sometimes apparent when He is in the ‘punishing mode’ (shaded-ul-Iqaab = quick to requite-2:211, 3:11, dhoo al-intiqaam = revengeful-3:4, 5:95). In this sense, then, God can be considered “Naar”---which would mean that the word “naar” as used in the ayah 27:8 is for God, not for Prophet Moses. This connotation will put Prophet Moses and the Children of Israel as part of the enviroment “man haulaha =whosoever is around it”.
Maybe there are other explanations as well. I am all ears and eyes.
Irfan