Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of Hajj pilgrimage and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world.
While Eid al-Fitr or Ramadan Eid is the most important festival in Islam that marks the end of the sacred month of Ramadan, where Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, recite the Holy Quran and offers prayers to Allah, Eid ul-Adha (also know as Bakra Eid, Bakrid, Eid al-Adha, Eid Qurban or Qurban Bayarami) is the second major Islamic festival celebrated by Muslims across the world and marks the commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s AS absolute dedication to Allah. Bakrid is celebrated by Muslims all around the world in the month of Dhul Hijjah/Zul Hijjah/Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the twelfth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.
The Hajj pilgrimage also takes place at the same time, which is the pilgrimage that every Muslim must make at least once in their lifetime if they are able financially and physically. The sighting of the crescent Dhul Hijjah moon marks the beginning of the Islamic month of Dhu Al-Hijjah when the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, one of Islam’s five pillars, is performed and is followed by Eid Al Adha on the tenth day.
The stoning is among the final rites of the Hajj, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It came a day after more than 1.8 million pilgrims congregated on a sacred hill in Mount Ararat outside the holy city of Mecca, which Muslim pilgrims visit to perform the annual five-day rituals of Hajj.
The pilgrims left Mount Arafat on Saturday evening to spend their night in a nearby site known as Muzdalifa, where they collected pebbles they have used in the symbolic stoning of pillars representing the devil.
The pillars are in another sacred place in Mecca, called Mina, where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish version of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.
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