The Day of Offering Sacrifice, Beginning Throwing Pebbles and Its Excellence

“Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that you can take the pebbles for al-Jamar and go to al- Jamarah al-Quswa’ which is near al-‘ Aqabah. Throw the pebbles on it from its front side and not from above, and when throwing pebbles say, ‘O Allah, these are my pebbles, count them for me and raise them in my deeds.’ Then commence throwing and with each pebble say, ‘Takbir (Allah is great beyond description). O Allah, keep away Satan from me. O Allah, it is to verify Your book and the Sunnah (tradition) of Your Holy Prophet. O Allah, make it a virtuous al-Hajj, an acceptable deed, an appreciated effort, and forgiven sins.’ Keep a distance of ten yards between yourself and al-Jamarah (the pillar) or fifteen yards. When you return from al-Jamarah say, ‘O Allah, I depend on You, take You as my attorney; You are the best Lord, the best Guardian and the best helper.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘It is preferable to throw the pebbles with a valid Wudu’.’” NOTE: When throwing pebbles one should say the prayers mentioned above.

“I once asked one of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah) (a.s.), about throwing pebbles on the day of al-Nahr (slaughtering the offering) and about why it is only one and why other al-Jamar are not pelted with pebbles on the day of al-Nahr. He (the Imam) said, ‘They used to throw pebbles on them but they stopped it.’ I then said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, can I then throw pebbles on them all?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘You must not throw pebbles on them all. Do you not like to do what we do?”’

“I once asked abu Ja’far (a.s.), about throwing pebbles on al-Jamar. He (the Imam) said, ‘Pebbles were thrown on all of them on the day of al-Nahr (slaughtering the offering, 10th of Dhu al- Hajj ah).’ Thereafter I would throw pebbles on all of them and then I mentioned it to him (the Imam) and he said, ‘Will you not be happy to do as Ali (a.s.), would do?’ I then abandoned it (throwing pebbles on all of them).”’

“One of the two Imam, (abu Ja’far or abu ‘Abd Allah), ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said, ‘Pebbles were thrown on all of them.’ I then asked, ‘Can I throw on all of them?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘No, do you not like to do as I do?”’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), threw pebbles on al-Jamarah al-‘Uzma’ and saw people standing. He (the Imam) stood in their middle and announced with the height of his voice, ‘O people, this is not a station’, three times, and I did it (as he (the Imam) had done).”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that the Messenger of Allah (sw), said to a man from al-Ansar, For every pebble you throw on al-Jamar, ten good deeds will be written for you (every year) for the rest of your life.’

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that with every pebble that one throws on al-Jamar, one major destructive sin is deleted.”