Pilgrims Perform Jamarat Stoning on First Day of Eid Al-Adha

By Staff, Agencies

Muslim pilgrims carried out the stoning of the Jamarat in Mina at dawn on Wednesday, the first day of Eid al-Adha, casting seven pebbles at the al-Aqabah pillar as part of the annual Hajj rituals.

The ritual followed the overnight transition through Hajj's sequential stages. On Tuesday evening, pilgrims completed the standing at Arafat, the central pillar of the pilgrimage, before moving to Muzdalifah, an open plain between Arafat and Mina.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed pilgrims had settled in Muzdalifah, where they performed the combined Maghrib and Isha prayers and collected the small pebbles used in the stoning ritual.

After spending the night there, pilgrims headed to Mina following the dawn prayer.

The stoning of the Jamarat, a key Hajj ritual commemorating Prophet Ibrahim’s rejection of the devil, involves pilgrims casting seven pebbles at three pillars in Mina, starting with the al-Aqabah pillar on Eid al-Adha, with Saudi authorities reporting orderly movement and full deployment of security and emergency services at the site.

After the stoning ritual, pilgrims continue Yawm al-Nahr rites including animal sacrifice [Hady], hair cutting, and circumambulation of the Kaaba, followed by further stoning during the Days of Tashreeq and the final farewell Tawaf, with Saudi Arabia reporting over 1.7 million pilgrims this year.