জামারাত

What Does জামারাত Mean in Detail?

The ritual stoning of the জামারাত (rami al-jamarat) is one of the essential rites of হজ্জ, rooted in the experience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়া সাল্লাম). According to Islamic tradition, when Ibrahim was walking to sacrifice his son Ismail in obedience to Allah's command, Satan (Iblis) appeared to him at three successive points, attempting to dissuade him from carrying out the divine order. At each encounter, Ibrahim drove Satan away by throwing stones at him. These three locations became the sites of the three জামারাত pillars in the valley of মিনা. The three pillars are: Jamrat al-Ula (the first/smallest, closest to Masjid al-Khayf), Jamrat al-Wusta (the middle), and Jamrat al-Aqabah (the largest, also called Jamrat al-Kubra, closest to মক্কা মুকাররমা). On the 10th of Dhul Hijjah (Yawm al-Nahr, the Day of Sacrifice), হাজীগণ stone only Jamrat al-Aqabah with seven consecutive pebbles, each roughly the size of a chickpea, saying 'Allahu Akbar' with each throw. On the 11th, 12th, and 13th (Ayyam al-Tashreeq), all three pillars are stoned in sequence — seven pebbles each, starting from the smallest and ending with the largest — for a total of 21 pebbles per day. The modern জামারাত complex is a massive multi-level bridge structure, redesigned after tragic stampedes in earlier years. The pillars have been replaced with elongated walls (designed to catch pebbles from any angle), and the bridge has five levels with multiple access ramps to manage the flow of millions of হাজীগণ. Pilgrims collect their pebbles from মুযদালিফা on the night of the 9th or from anywhere in মিনা. The stoning on the 10th marks the beginning of the হাজী's exit from ইহরাম — after stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah, most restrictions of ইহরাম are lifted (called al-tahallul al-awwal, the first release).