Stoning the Satan, animal sacrifice mark Haj’s 3rd day

MINA, Saudi Arabia, (AFP) - Hajis pelted pillars symbolising the Satan with pebbles on the third day of the Haj on Friday as the faithfuls worldwide marked the Eidul Azha with mass animal sacrifices.
Hundreds of thousands of Hajis filed by the three Jamarat pillars in Mina tossing stones to mark Hazrat Ibraham (AS}’s three rejections of the Satan’s (devil) attempts to persuade him to ignore Allah’s instructions to sacrifice his son Hazrat Ismail (AS) as related in the Holy Quran.
The stoning was orderly during the night and early morning on Friday, fulfilling Saudi hopes that enlarged pillars and a newly-built five storey pilgrim walkway would end the crowding that led to deadly stampedes in previous years as the faithful jammed into the area for the required ritual.
“I was a afraid of problems at the Jamarat bridge, but it was very easy,” said Faeq Jarada, 60, a Haji from Gaza.
After the stoning, said Jarada, “the Hajis feel pure like a child, like they are reborn.”
Assistant chief of Haj security Khader al-Zaharani told Saudi television on Friday that there had been no major problems.
“The whole world wants to know how we protect the safety of several million Hajis at the same time,” he said.
Stampedes of Hajis at the Jamarat area were frequent in past pilgrimages. In 2006, 346 were crushed to death at the site.
The design of the new bridge, forcing all pilgrims to move in one direction and offering numerous exits, aims to prevent a recurrence.
Security was tight in the area, with two military helicopters flying overhead at all times.
Hajis were prevented from bringing any large bags into the Jamarat area, to prevent people lugging suitcases from jamming up the crowds.