Stoning of the devil

The Stoning of the Devil ( ar, رمي الجمرات , " throwing of the ' lace of pebbles)
is part of the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. During the ritual, Muslim pilgrims throw pebbles at three walls (formerly pillars), called ''jamarāt'', in the city of Mina just east of Mecca. It is one of a series of ritual acts that must be performed in the Hajj. It is a symbolic reenactment of Ibrahim's (or Abraham's) hajj, where he stoned three pillars representing the temptation to disobey God.

On Eid al-Adha (the 10th day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah), pilgrims must strike the Big Jamarah or Al-Jamrah Al-Aqaba with seven pebbles. After the stoning is completed on the day of Eid, every pilgrim must cut or shave their hair. On each of the following two days, they must hit all three walls with seven pebbles each, going in order from east to west. Thus at least 49 pebbles are needed for the ritual, more if some throws miss. Some pilgrims stay at Mina for an additional day, in which case they must again stone each wall seven times. The pebbles used in the stoning are traditionally gathered at Muzdalifah, a plain southeast of Mina, on the night before the first throwing, but can also be collected at Mina.

Replacement of the pillars

Until 2004, the three ''jamarāt'' (singular: ''jamrah'') were tall pillars. After the 2004 Hajj, Saudi authorities replaced the pillars with walls for safety; many people were accidentally throwing pebbles at people on the other side. To allow easier access to the ''jamarāt'', a single-tiered pedestrian bridge called the Jamaraat Bridge was built around them, allowing pilgrims to throw stones from either ground level or from the bridge.

The ' are named (starting from the east):

* the first ' ('), or the smallest ' ( '),
* the middle ' ( '),
* the largest ' ( '), or Jamrah of Aqaba ( ').
Before 2004, the distance between the small and middle ' was ; between the middle and large ' it was .

Historical and spiritual significance

The ritual re-enacts Abraham's pilgrimage to Mecca as explained by the Muslim historian al-Azraqi:

When he brahamleft Mina and was brought down to (the defile called) al-Aqaba, the Devil appeared to him at Stone-Heap of the Defile. Gabriel ( Jibrayil) said to him: "Pelt him!" so Abraham threw seven stones at him so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Middle Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: "Pelt him!" so he pelted him with seven stones so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Little Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: "Pelt him!" so he pelted him with seven stones like the little stones for throwing with a sling. So the Devil withdrew from him.F.E. Peters, ''A Reader on Classical Islam'', Princeton University Press, 1994 ()

All three ''jamarāt'' represent the devil: the first and largest represents his temptation of Abraham against sacrificing Ishmael ( Ismāʿīl); the second represents the temptation of Abraham's wife Hagar ( Hājar) to induce her to stop him; the third represents his temptation of Ishmael to avoid being sacrificed. He was rebuked each time, and the throwing of the stones symbolizes those rebukes.

The stoning of the ''jamarāt'' also represents the repudiation of man's self (', literally the "internal despot") and the act of casting aside one's low desires and wishes. As one Islamic theologian states:

Incidents

The Stoning of the Devil ritual is considered the most dangerous part of the pilgrimage, as sudden crowd movements on or near the Jamaraat Bridge can cause people to be crushed. On several occasions, thousands of participants have suffocated or been trampled to death in stampedes.

An important step in managing crowds is the recent replacement of the ''jamarāt'' pillars by walls to ease and speed up the stoning. The bridge has also been widened in recent years to accommodate the ever-growing number of pilgrims who perform the Hajj each year.

Crowd conditions are especially difficult during the final day of Hajj, which is the day pilgrims leave the valley of Mina and return to Mecca for the farewell '' Tawaf'' (the final circumambulation of the Kaaba). According to hadith, Muhammad's last stoning was performed just after the noon prayer

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