جمرات

What Does جمرات Mean in Detail?

The ritual stoning of the جمرات (rami al-jamarat) is one of the essential rites of حج, rooted in the experience of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم). 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 جمرات pillars in the valley of منیٰ. 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 مکہ مکرمہ). On the 10th of Dhul Hijjah (Yawm al-Nahr, the Day of Sacrifice), حجاج 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 جمرات 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 حجاج. Pilgrims collect their pebbles from مزدلفہ on the night of the 9th or from anywhere in منیٰ. The stoning on the 10th marks the beginning of the حاجی's exit from احرام — after stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah, most restrictions of احرام are lifted (called al-tahallul al-awwal, the first release).