Two million Muslims had ritually stoned the devil on Saturday in the
last major ritual of this year’s hajj in Saudi Arabia, the stoning took
place in Mina, about five kilometres east of the Grand Mosque in the
holy city of Mecca.
It was on Friday that pilgrims had moved to Mina overnight on foot, motorbikes, and buses from Mount Arafat after the hajj reached its zenith with a day of prayer, as well as tears by pilgrims moved by the sanctity of the spot where Prophet Mohammed is believed to have given his final sermon 14 centuries ago.
In the stoning ritual, we saw pilgrims throw pebbles, which they collected at Muzdalifah on the way to Mina, at walls to emulate Abraham who is said to have stoned the devil at three locations when he tried to dissuade Abraham from God’s order to sacrifice his son.
In conjunction with the stoning, pilgrims offer sacrifices by slaughtering a sheep, whose meat goes to the needy.
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