It has previously been mentioned that the pilgrims must spend the night following the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah—that is, the night of the 11th of Dhul-Hijjah—in Mina. Since this is one of the nights of Ayyam al-Tashriq, everyone should make good use of this time and remain prepared for the deeds of the following day, the 11th. The deeds of the 11th are as follows:
1. If any deed of the 10th remains incomplete, one should try to complete it on this day. That is, if anyone was unable on that day to perform any of the deeds of the 10th, such as slaughtering the hady, shaving the head or shortening the hair, or performing Tawaf al-Ifadah or Tawaf al-Ziyarah, he may complete it today.
2. The specific deed of this day is to cast pebbles. On this day, pebbles must be cast at all three Jamarat. Follow the procedure below when casting the pebbles:
As with the pebbles cast at Jamrat al-‘Aqabah on the 10th, these pebbles may be collected from the tents in Mina, the road, or any other place. Those who have already brought collected pebbles will find those sufficient.
3. Seven pebbles must be cast at each Jamrah. The total will be twenty-one pebbles. However, take an additional two or four pebbles with you so that they may be used if any pebble misses the target and falls outside the designated area.
4. Begin with the small Jamrah nearest Mina and finish with the large Jamrah nearest Makkah.
5. The time for casting the pebbles begins after the sun has passed the meridian. On this day, it is not permissible to cast the pebbles before the sun has passed the meridian, because it is mentioned in the hadith:
«رَمَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الْجَمْرَةَ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ ضُحًى وَأَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِذَا زَالَتْ الشَّمْسُ»
‘The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, cast pebbles at the Jamrah on the Day of Sacrifice after the sun had become fully bright, and on the subsequent days, after the sun had passed the meridian.’[1]
Despite being compassionate toward his Ummah, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, waited until the sun had passed the meridian and then cast the pebbles. ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
«كُنَّا نَتَحَيَّنُ ، فَإِذَا زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ رَمَيْنَا».
‘We would wait, and when the sun had passed the meridian, we would cast the pebbles.’[2] Moreover, Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say,
«لاَ تُرْمَى الْجِمَارُ فِي الْأَيَّامِ الثَّلاَثَةِ حَتَّى تَزُولَ الشَّمْسُ».
‘During the three days, the pebbles are not to be cast until the sun has passed the meridian.’[3]
Thus, casting the pebbles after the sun has passed the meridian was the practice of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the noble Companions. It is undeniable that following them is a cause of guidance for us. ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘If anyone wishes to follow a Sunnah, let him follow the Sunnah of those who have died, for the living are not safe from tribulation.’[4]
Moreover, the opinion given by some contemporary scholars that it is permissible to cast the pebbles before the sun has passed toward the western sky concerns the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah, not the 11th of Dhul-Hijjah. Furthermore, it is not an accepted opinion.
6. First, proceed to Jamrat al-Sughra, or the small Jamrah. It is the closest one to Masjid al-Khayf in Mina. There, cast seven pebbles one by one, saying ‘Allahu Akbar.’ Say ‘Allahu Akbar’ each time you cast a pebble. There is no problem whichever direction you cast from. After casting the pebbles at this Jamrah, move slightly from the casting place toward the second Jamrah, stand to one side, raise both hands, and supplicate. At this time, it is recommended to face the Qiblah and supplicate at length.
7. Then proceed toward the second Jamrah and, as before, cast seven pebbles there one by one, saying ‘Allahu Akbar,’ and say ‘Allahu Akbar’ each time you cast a pebble. It will be valid whichever direction you cast from. After finishing casting the pebbles at this Jamrah, move slightly away from the casting place, raise your hands, face the Qiblah, and supplicate at length.
8. Then proceed to the third Jamrah. This is the large Jamrah, which is closer to Makkah. There too, cast seven pebbles one by one, saying ‘Allahu Akbar’ each time. After casting them, move away from there, but do not stand to supplicate, because the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not stand after casting pebbles at the large Jamrah.[5]
9. Every pilgrim, whether male or female, must personally cast his or her own pebbles; this is obligatory. However, if doing so personally becomes difficult—for example, for a sick or weak woman, an elderly woman, a child, and so on—it may be delayed until the end of the day or the night. If even that is not possible, another pilgrim should be appointed as a representative to cast the pebbles on that person’s behalf.
10. When a pilgrim acts as a representative for someone else, the representative pilgrim should first cast the pebbles on his own behalf and then cast them on behalf of the person who appointed him.[6]
11. There is no authoritative narration specifying the final time for casting the pebbles on this day. However, it is preferable to cast them before sunset. There is no problem if they are cast at night either, because evidence for this is found from the noble Companions in various narrations.
12. One of the other deeds of this day is to spend the night in Mina, as has been discussed in detail previously.
13. The Imam, or the person acting in his place, should deliver a khutbah to the people. In this khutbah, he should explain matters of the religion, as the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did. It is narrated from two men of the tribe of Banu Bakr that they said,
«رَأَيْنَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَخْطُبُ بَيْنَ أَوْسَطِ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ وَنَحْنُ عِنْدَ رَاحِلَتِهِ وَهِيَ خُطْبَةُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الَّتِي خَطَبَ بِمِنًى».
‘We saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, delivering a khutbah on the middle day of Ayyam al-Tashriq, while we were near his mount. This was the khutbah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which he delivered in Mina.’[7]
It should also be known that this day is one of Ayyam al-Tashriq, and Ayyam al-Tashriq are days for remembering Allah, as mentioned previously. Moreover, this place is Mina, and Mina is a part of the Sacred Precinct. Therefore, pilgrims must appreciate the sanctity of the place, time, and circumstances and conduct themselves and perform deeds accordingly. They should make use of the time by remembering Allah Most High, reciting the takbir, or performing other righteous deeds, and refrain from every kind of wrongdoing, sin, quarrelling, and useless and unnecessary matters.
[1]. Muslim: 1299.
[2]. Bukhari: 1746.
[3]. Muwatta Malik: 1/408.
[4]. Bayhaqi: 10/116; Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr, Jami‘ Bayan al-‘Ilm: 2/97.
[5]. Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, finished casting pebbles at the large Jamrah, he would leave directly and would not stand there (Ibn Majah: 3033).
[6]. The principle of performing one’s own obligation first is found in a hadith of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, heard a man saying, ‘Labbayka ‘an Shubrumah.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, ‘Who is Shubrumah?’ The man replied, ‘My brother,’ or he said, ‘A relative of mine.’ The Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked, ‘Have you performed Hajj for yourself?’ The man replied, ‘No.’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Perform Hajj for yourself first, and then perform Hajj on behalf of Shubrumah’ (Abu Dawud: 1811).
[7]. Abu Dawud: 1952; Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah: 2973.