Should all pilgrims visit Muzdalifah to collect pebbles and sleep in the open air? Could not the pebbles be brought from further afield, say, from one’s own country? (Saeed)
The reader wonders whether the Prophet stopped at Muzdalifah to pick up the pebbles there because it was easier for him to do so in the particular circumstances of his own travel. The answer is that this was not the case. Stopping at Muzdalifah is an essential part of the pilgrimage. It obeys a clear order in the Qur’an: “When you surge downward from Arafat, remember God at Al-Mashaar Al-Haram. Remember Him who has given you guidance. Before this you were certainly in error.” (2: 198) Al-Mashaar Al-Haram is Muzdalifah, as clearly indicated by the Prophet both verbally and by his action. We do not stop at Muzdalifah only to collect the pebbles, as some pilgrims think. The pebbles used to stone at the Jamrah may alternatively be picked up at Mina or a nearby place. What we do at Muzdalifah includes offering Maghreb and Isha prayers, sleeping so as to have some rest after a tiring day at Arafat, offering Fajr prayer and supplicating long afterward. We then move on shortly before sunrise. This is a duty of pilgrimage which can only be compensated for, if omitted, by the slaughter of a sheep in the Haram area and distributing its meat to the poor.
Can it be made easier? The Prophet allowed elderly people, women and people who provide services for the pilgrims to move early. It is important to stay in Muzdalifah at least until after midnight, but it is much preferable to stay until the morning, if one can do so without much difficulty.
Can a pilgrim throw all his pebbles on one visit to the Jamarat, instead of making three visits on three consecutive days? Must all pilgrims stay at Mina for three days? Could this be relaxed? (S. Abd Al-Rahim)
The reader puts this question within the context of making things easier for pilgrims. It is well-known that during the pilgrimage, we stay in Mina for three days and we perform the stoning at the Jamarat on each of these days. Some of us add a fourth day. Staying in Mina and stoning at its Jamarat are often thought of as a single act of pilgrimage, which is untrue. The confusion arises from the fact that the Jamarat are at Mina. We certainly do a part of the stoning duty on each day, but this is different from staying in Mina. Some schools of thought consider staying at Mina during these three days to be a Sunnah, i.e. a recommended action which does not affect the validity of the pilgrimage if omitted. It remains much better for all pilgrims to stay in Mina during this period. Besides, a new ruling, or fatwa, by one of the leading scholars of Saudi Arabia, makes clear that if a pilgrim does not find a good place to stay, due to the overcrowding, then he can stay in the adjacent areas, such as Al-Aziziyah.
The stoning on these three days is a duty of the pilgrimage. It is stated in the Qur’anic Verse that says: “Give glory to God during certain appointed days. Those who hasten their departure after two days incur no sin, and those who stay longer incur no sin, provided that they are truly God-fearing. Have fear of God and know well that you shall all be gathered before Him.” (2: 203) “Giving glory to God” refers to the stoning, which is a symbolic act that implies the rejection of Satan and a resolve to obey God and never listen to Satan.
The stoning is in two parts, each of which is a separate duty: the one on the first day, which is done at the grand Jamrah only, and the other on the next two or three days, done at each of the three Jamrahs. This act has been made much easier with the new expansion of the stoning area at each Jamrah and the arrangement that allows only one-way movement of the pilgrims.
Can it be done on one visit? According to the Shafie and Hanbali schools of thought, the time of stoning is all one. If you want to do it on one visit, you have to do that on the last day of staying in Mina. You should do the stoning at all three Jamrahs for the first day, then come back to the first and do all three again. If you choose to stay three days in Mina, then you have to repeat that a third time. This involves a very long walk, because the one-way movement makes the round trip quite long. Yet God has given us an easier way out. Anyone who finds it difficult to go and do the stoning themselves can always request a relative or a friend to do the stoning on their behalf.
To conclude, there are always good ways to facilitate the pilgrimage duties and enable the pilgrims to offer them without undue difficulty. What is important is for all pilgrims to study what the pilgrimage involves and make sure of what is obligatory and what is not essential. Thus, they will do what is necessary at the right time and manner, without inconveniencing themselves or other pilgrims.
