The Jamarat are three stone pillars which are pelted as a compulsory ritual of Hajj in emulation of the Prophet Ebrahim (upon him be peace). They represent the three locations where Ebrahim (upon him be peace) pelted the Shaitan (Satan) with stones when he tried to dissuade him from sacrificing his son Ismail (upon him be peace). The pillars are called ‘Jamarat-al-Ula’, ‘Jamarat-al-Wusta’ and ‘Jamarat-al-Aqaba’.
- One of the purposes of the Hajj is to recall, while in Mina, how a 94 year old father brought his eight year old son here for sacrifice. Ebrahim (upon him be peace) had first left his wife and newborn son, Ismail (upon him be peace) in the desert upon Allah’s command. Then while returning after eight years to them he saw a dream wherein a man told him that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) wanted him to sacrifice his son. He saw the same dream for three consecutive nights and as he was a Prophet, his dreams were a form of Wahy (Divine Instruction). He realised that Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) wanted him to sacrifice his son for whom his heart was overfilled with love and emotions. He went to his wife and asked her to dress up Ismail (upon him be peace). Ismail (upon him be peace) was overjoyed that his father had come after such a long time and was now taking him out for a walk. When Hajra (upon her be peace) asked, “Where are you taking him?” He replied, “To meet a friend.”
- They then reached Mina. Here Ebrahim (upon him be peace) asked his son that your father has seen such a dream, what is your opinion about it? The reason for asking was not to ask his opinion in deciding whether to go ahead with the command or not. It was to assess whether his son will allow him to follow the command freely or will he have to forcibly carry out this order. In other words, he asked this to test the intensity of love for Allah in his son’s heart. The son replied, “My father, obey the command given by Allah. You will, Insha’Allah, find me steadfast. Give my shirt to my mother as it will be a source of comfort for her and wrap me in your own shirt. Put me face down so you can’t see my face, lest you hesitate in carrying out my slaughter.”
- The skies and the earth witnessed that Ebrahim (upon him be peace) tied his son and laid him down. Now this was very unacceptable to Shaitan so he first went to Hajra (upon her be peace) and asked her, “Do you know where Ebrahim has taken your son?” She replied,”To meet a friend.” He said, “By meet a friend he meant to meet Allah. He is going to sacrifice him!” She said, “How can a father sacrifice his son?” By mistake, Shaitan uttered, “It is Allah’s command.” On hearing this Hajra (upon her be peace) replied, “If this is Allah’s command, then even a hundred Ismails can be sacrificed in this way.”
- Then he went to distract Ebrahim (upon him be peace). When he appeared to him at the first Jamarat, Jibraeel (upon him be peace) said to Ebrahim (upon him be peace): “Pelt him!” so Ebrahim (upon him be peace) threw seven stones at him and he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the second Jamarat. Jibraeel (upon him be peace) said to him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him with seven stones and he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the third Jamarat. Jibraeel (upon him be peace) again instructed him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him again with seven small stones and Shaitan withdrew from him. This action is imitated by all Hujjaj, symbolising one’s acknowledgement that Shaitan is one’s enemy and ought to be repulsed.
- Ebrahim (upon him be peace) then laid Ismail (upon him be peace) down and put his knee on his neck so that he may not move. Then he faced the sky and called to Almighty Allah that, “Oh Allah! If you did not like the presence of love for Ismail in my heart, I seek your forgiveness.” Then he proclaimed Allah’s name and placed the knife on Ismail’s (upon him be peace) throat. He would rub the knife but it wouldn’t cut, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) had taken the quality of cutting away from the knife.
- Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) was pleased with the sincerity of Ebrahim (upon him be peace) and sent a white, big-eyed sheep with horns in replacement of Ismail (upon him be peace) which Ebrahim (upon him be peace) sacrificed instead. This is the basis for the offering of sacrifice animals by the Hujjaj and by all other Muslims at the time of Eid-ul-Adha.
- Note that the views of the Jews and Christians greatly differ from Muslims with regards to who the sacrificial son was and where this incident took place. In order to enhance their prestige and honour they have attributed the sacrificial son to Ishaq (upon him be peace) who is the forefather of the Jews and Christians rather than Ismail (upon him be peace) who is the forefather of the Muslims. They have also placed the setting to be in Jerusalem rather than Mina. It is clear, by looking at Biblical scriptural evidence that the sacrificial son could only have been Ismail (upon him be peace). For example, in Genesis 22:2 Abraham is commanded to take his only son for sacrifice. As Ismail (upon him be peace) was 13 years older than Ishaq (upon him be peace) and both were alive at the time of their father’s death, logically Ishaq (upon him be peace) could never be his only son.
The new Jamaraat Bridge
References: The Intellect – Volume 2, Issue 3, The History of Makkah Mukarramah – Dr. Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Ghani , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoning_of_the_Devil , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaraat_Bridge ,
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