Mina: The City of Pilgrims
The tent city: Modern Mina is an extraordinary sight — 100,000+ air-conditioned tents spread across the valley, each marked with country and group identifications, housing pilgrims from every nation on earth. The tents are organized into camps, with service roads, sanitation facilities, and kitchens. For three to four days, Mina becomes one of the largest cities on earth by population.
Staying in Mina: The Prophet (SAW) stayed in Mina for all four days (10th-13th of Dhul-Hijja). Staying the nights (mabit) in Mina is an obligatory act of Hajj — those who leave without spending the required nights owe a fidya (expiation sacrifice). A minimum of two nights (10th and 11th) is required; staying the third night (12th-13th) is superior.
The Three Jamarat
The jamarat (sing. jamra — a pillar of stone representing a place where Ibrahim confronted Shaytan) are three pillars in a row in Mina, each now rebuilt as a multi-level structure to accommodate millions of pilgrims safely:
Jamrat al-Sughra (Small Jamra): The first/smallest, closest to Muzdalifah Jamrat al-Wusta (Middle Jamra): The middle pillar Jamrat al-Aqaba (Great Jamra): The largest, closest to Mecca — the first stoned on Eid day
The story: When Allah commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice Ismail, they passed through Mina. Shaytan appeared to Ibrahim at three spots and tried to dissuade him. Ibrahim threw seven pebbles each time, driving Shaytan away. The jamarat mark these three spots. The rami (stoning) is the pilgrim’s re-enactment of Ibrahim’s decisive rejection of Shaytan — not a literal stone-throwing at the devil, but a physical act of defiance against one’s own inner devils, fears, and temptations.
Rami: The Stoning Rite
Day of Nahr (10th Dhul-Hijja — Eid al-Adha): Only Jamrat al-Aqaba (the Great Jamra) is stoned on this day.
- Time: From after Fajr until midnight (Fajr to sunset is preferred; sunset to midnight is permitted with a dispensation)
- 7 pebbles, thrown one by one
- With each pebble: Allahu Akbar (Takbir)
- The talbiyah stops with the first stone of the Great Jamra — marking the beginning of exit from ihram
Days of Tashreeq (11th, 12th, and optionally 13th Dhul-Hijja): All three jamarat are stoned in order — Sughra, Wusta, Aqaba
- 7 pebbles at each (21 total per day)
- Time: After Zuhr until before Fajr (most preferable: afternoon to sunset)
- Takbir with each pebble
Physical procedure:
- Hold the pebble between thumb and forefinger
- Raise the arm to shoulder height
- Throw toward the basin around the pillar (pebble must land in the basin)
- Say Allahu Akbar with each throw
- After Jamrat al-Sughra and Wusta: stop, face qiblah, and make long du’a
- After Jamrat al-Aqaba: move on — no prolonged stop
The Sacrifice (Nahr) and Eid al-Adha
The origin: After Ibrahim had shown his willingness to sacrifice Ismail, Allah called out: “O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream.” (37:105) — and substituted a great ram (kabsh ‘azeem) for Ismail. The sacrifice that pilgrims perform in Mina re-enacts this divine replacement: the animal’s life is taken in place of the pilgrim’s, as a symbol of complete submission.
The obligation: Sacrificing an animal in Mina is wajib (obligatory) for Hajj al-Tamattu’ and Hajj al-Qiran (the hady or sacrificial animal). For Hajj al-Ifrad, it is Sunnah.
Valid animals: Sheep or goats (1 per person), cattle or camels (1 for 7 persons). The animal must be healthy, without defects, and of a minimum age.
Modern arrangement: Today, the Saudi Arabian Hajj Authority manages collective sacrifice — pilgrims purchase a hady coupon and the slaughter is arranged on their behalf through organized facilities. The meat is distributed to the poor.
Eid al-Adha worldwide: On the same 10th of Dhul-Hijja, Muslims worldwide who are not on Hajj also slaughter an animal (udhiya) and share the meat — one-third for the family, one-third for relatives, one-third for the poor. This global sacrifice marks the community’s collective participation in Ibrahim’s submission, whether physically present at Mina or not.
The Sequence on Eid Day (10th Dhul-Hijja)
The Prophet (SAW) instructed the following sequence on Eid day, and completing them in order is preferred:
- Stone Jamrat al-Aqaba (7 stones)
- Slaughter the hady (sacrificial animal)
- Shave or cut the hair (halq or taqsir)
- Return to Mecca for Tawaf al-Ifadah and Sa’y
After steps 1-3, the first partial exit from ihram (tahallul al-awwal) occurs — all ihram prohibitions are lifted except sexual intimacy. After Tawaf al-Ifadah, the complete exit from ihram follows.
Du’a at the Jamarat
The du’a after stoning the Sughra and Wusta (not after Aqaba): Allāhumma ij’alhu Hajjan mabrūran wa dhanban maghfūran “O Allah, make it an accepted Hajj and a forgiven sin.”
The rami is not a moment for mindless stone-throwing but for conscious spiritual declaration: each stone is a declaration that the pilgrim chooses Allah’s command over every voice that counsels compromise or retreat.
See also: Muzdalifah, Arafat, Ihram, Tawaf, Zamzam, Ibrahim Al Khalil, Tawakkul Trust In Allah