Pilgrims stone devil on 2nd day

Pilgrims symbolically stoned the devil for a second day yesterday. Chanting “God is Greatest,” pilgrims threw seven small pea-sized pebbles at each of three walls representing Satan in the last ritual of the Haj.
The ritual, which symbolizes the rejection of evil, will be repeated today as the Haj 2012 winds down.
With less than 24 hours to go for the completion of their spiritual journey, many pilgrims were seen engaged in supplication and prayers. Turaif-based Saaed Alghamdi, who is performing the Haj along with his wife, said the whole exercise required mental preparation.
“Pilgrims should be encouraged to familiarize themselves with all aspects of Haj, memorizing and learning the meaning of the prayers involved, which are recited in Arabic,” he said. “The more you know about Haj and its obligations and prohibitions, the more comfortable and at peace you will feel during the whole process.”
According to Alghamdi, overcoming the stresses of Haj is a metaphor for what must be done in life.
“The aim is to always seek the peace of Allah,” he said. “It teaches us that all of life is a spiritual quest,” he said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, who is among the prominent foreign dignitaries performing Haj, praised Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for doing all that is humanly possible to make the pilgrimage comfortable and easy.
Talking to Urdu News, a sister publication of Arab News, he said: “Saudis have pulled out all stops to make Haj rituals manageable. They deserve the applause of the Muslim Ummah. We appreciate the efforts put in by the people and government of Saudi Arabia in the smooth organization of such a mammoth event.”
Amjad Tanveer, a Pakistani-American pilgrim, described the process as incredible.
“Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims walking in one direction; indeed, it is incredible,” he said. “This is the way to follow. If we can chose one direction here we should chose one direction in worldly affairs too,” he said.
Sudanese national Mohammad Ali was relieved beyond words. “I am happy that I could complete this important ritual with ease.”
Asked what was going in his mind when he was stoning the devil, he said, “This is what our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) has done and this is what he has asked us to do… We are bound by his words. And there is no greater pleasure than following into the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad.”
Rabiya Sulenti, an Indonesian woman who stoned the devil along with her husband, said she was doubtful about accomplishing this particular ritual. “I had a choice of letting my husband perform this task for me. But then I mustered enough courage at the last minute and a.m. very happy that I did it. I stoned the Satan with all my might.”
Another woman, Sameena Kausar from Mumbai, India, was ecstatic after stoning the devil. “All this is symbolic. In essence it means that we have finally said goodbye to the world of vices. It is a symbolic victory of an individual over the corrupting influence of Satan,” she added.
Mina is now in a celebratory mood. The pilgrims are celebrating the fact that the most important steps of the Haj are over. Happiness was writ large on the faces of pilgrims. They exchanged pleasantries and wished each other well.
Save for the blistering weather, especially during the afternoon hours, everything went according to plan yesterday. The pilgrims will stream out of Mina today after performing what for many is a once-in-lifetime journey of faith.