Jamarat

What Does Jamarat Mean in Detail?

The ritual stoning of the Jamarat (rami al-jamarat) is one of the essential rites of Haji, rooted in the experience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, shallallahu alaihi wa sallam). 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 Jamarat pillars in the valley of Mina. 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 Mekkah). On the 10th of Dzulhijjah (Yawm al-Nahr, the Day of Sacrifice), jamaah haji 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 Jamarat 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 jamaah haji. Pilgrims collect their pebbles from Muzdalifah on the night of the 9th or from anywhere in Mina. The stoning on the 10th marks the beginning of the jamaah haji's exit from ihram — after stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah, most restrictions of ihram are lifted (called al-tahallul al-awwal, the first release).