Throwing pebbles at the jamarah

Throwing pebbles at the jamarah

This is the fourth obligation in Hajj on the day of the sacrifice and there are certain details:

1. The intention (niyyah) for the act must be to attain nearness to Allah.

2. Seven pebbles must be thrown, not more or less, and it is not permitted to throw anything other than pebbles.

3. The pebbles must be thrown one after the other and not two or more of them at the same time.

4. It is necessary that the pebbles hit the Jamrah.

5. The pebbles must reach the Jamrah by being thrown at it and not merely depositing them there.

6. The throwing of the pebbles and hitting the Jamrah both must be done by the pilgrim himself. So, if the pebble was in his hand but he was pushed resulting in the pebble reaching the Jamrah, the obligation is not satisfied. The same rule applies if the Jamrah is obstructed by a man or an animal whose movements result in the pebble hitting the Jamrah. However, there is no objection if the pebble hits something and then reaches the Jamrah.

7. The pebble must be thrown by hand. So if the pilgrim throws it by his mouth or feet, it is not sufficient and, as a matter of caution, it is not permissible to use a tool to fling a pebble onto the Jamrah.

8. The throwing of pebbles must be carried out between sunrise and sunset. Ladies and the others who are permitted to leave Muzdalifah at night may throw the pebbles at the Jamrah at night during the eve of Idd.

If during the throwing of the pebbles, the pilgrim entertains a doubt as to whether the pebble struck the Jamrah or not, he must resolve that it did not unless he had already engaged himself in another obligation or it was already night when the doubt arose in which cases he must ignore the doubt.

Two matters are to be borne in mind regarding the pebbles:

(1) The pebbles must have been picked within the borders of the Haram but not from the Holy Mosque or the Mosque of Khiif and better still that they be picked in Mu-zdalifah.

(2) As a matter of caution, they must not have been used for this purpose before and it is recommended that they be coloured, dotted and soft and of thickness of a finger and at the time of throwing them, one should be standing on one's feet.

As a matter of caution, the pebbles must be hit upto the original height of the Jamrah and it is not sufficient to hit the extension and elevation recently made or the upper storey of the Jamrah recently constructed. If it is not possible to hit the on the original area only, then the pilgrim may personally hit the extended portion and appoint an agent to hit the original portion on his behalf.

In this regard, it is immaterial whether the action is from awareness, ignorance or by oversight.

If a pilgrim forgets to hit the pebbles on the day of Idd or omits to do so out of the ignorance of the rule, he must correct the' error by the 13th of Dhil Hijjah whenever he remembers or learns of the rule. If he recalls or learns the rule at night, he must throw the pebbles the next day unless he qualifies in the category permitted to throw them at night. If he recalls or learns after the 13th of Dhil Hijjah, as a matter of caution, he should retum to Mina and throw the pebbles and repeat the exercise in the following year personally or appoint an agent to do so on his behalf. If he recalls or learns the rule after departure from Makkah, there is no need to return to Mina but in the following year he must either throw the pebbles personally or appoint an agent to do so on his behalf.

If a pilgrim forgets to hit the pebbles on the day of Idd or omits to do so out of ignorance of the rule and recalls or learns the rule after having performed the Tawaaf, it is not obligatory to correct the omission after the Tawaaf, although, as a matter of caution, one should do so. However, if he knowingly and deliberately omits to throw the pebbles, then obviously his Tawaaf is invalidated and it is obligatory on him to repeat the Tawaaf after throwing the pebbles.