As the millions of Muslims return home - safely, I pray - from the Hajj, I cannot help but reflect over the last rituals of the Hajj: the stoning of the pillars. This part of the Hajj can be the most dangerous, as millions of pilgrims are cramped in a very small space at the same time. This part of the Hajj has seen a number of tragic incidents of stampedes, killing hundreds on several occasions. My wife and I were nearly trampled upon when we performed the Hajj four years ago. (Incidentally, my brother and sister - who went on the Hajj this year - told us that the stoning ritual was very easy this year due to the changes that were made by the Saudi government).

Yet, what does the stoning ritual represent? What does it mean? Of course, the ritual is performed in honor of Abraham ( pbuh). When he was on his way to fulfill the command of God and kill his own son in sacrifice to God, the Devil approached him on three occasions in an effort to dissuade him from his task. Each time, my father Abraham ( pbuh) stoned the Accursed One, and thus the pilgrims do the same.

And so many pilgrims really take this ritual seriously. So many pilgrims become very emotional during the stoning ritual, as if they actually see and stone the Devil himself. Many pilgrims even throw their sandals at the stone pillars, and you can hear many curses being hurled at the pillars. Yet, what lesson should we take from this ritual? What can we learn - Muslim and non-Muslim alike - from the spectacle of Muslim faithful stoning a pillar representing Satan in honor of the patriarch Abraham (pbuh)?

This ritual reminds us of our real enemy. Right now in Iraq, the Sunnis fight the Shia as their enemy. The Shia fight the Sunnis as their enemy. Yet, in Mecca during the Hajj, both Sunni and Shi'i stand together and stone the Devil. Thus, our real enemy is not the Sunni or Shi'i. Our real enemy is not Jews and Christians. Nay, our real enemy is Satan and his forces. The Qur'an is explicitly clear on this issue:

O you who have attained to faith! Surrender yourselves wholly unto God, and follow not Satan's footsteps, for, verily, he is your open enemy. (2:208)

O humankind! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan's footsteps, for, verily, he is your open enemy. (2:168)

And of the cattle reared for work and for the sake of their flesh, eat whatever God has provided for you as sustenance, and follow not Satan's footsteps: behold, he is your open enemy. (6:142)

And tell my servants that they should speak in the most kindly manner [unto those who do not share their beliefs]: verily, Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men - for, verily , Satan is humanity's open enemy! (17:53)

Behold, Satan is an enemy unto you: so treat him as an enemy. He but calls on his followers to the end that they might find themselves among such as are destined for the blazing flame. (35:6)

And, behold, this [divine writ] is indeed a means to know [that] the Last Hour [is bound to come]; hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow Me: this [alone] is a straight way. and let not Satan bar you [from it] - for, verily, he is your open enemy ! (43:61-62)

It is Satan who is the real enemy: it is against he that we must all unite. It is against his machinations that we must all fight: not each other. It is as the Qur'an said:

"... verily Satan is always ready to stir up discord between men..." (17:53). He is - as the Qur'an describes - "the whispering, elusive tempter who whispers in the hearts of people... " (114:4-5).

It is he that whispers in the hearts of some Muslims to preach hatred for all non-Muslims, even though their faith says nothing of the sort. It is he that whispers in the hearts of other Muslims to maim and murder and call it "sacred." It is he that whispers of some non-Muslims to viciously malign the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and promote lies about him and his faith. It is he that whispers in the hearts of some to commit terrible acts of evil against other, innocent human beings on this earth. It is he who is the real enemy.

It was he who led our father and mother to be expelled from the Garden:

And [as for thee], O Adam, dwell thou and thy wife in this garden, and eat, both of you, whatever you may wish; but do not approach this one tree, lest you become evildoers. Thereupon Satan whispered unto the two with a view to making them conscious of their nakedness, of which [hitherto] they had been unaware; and he said: "Your Sustainer has but forbidden you this tree lest you two become [as] angels or lest you live forever." And he swore unto them, "Verily, I am of those who wish you well indeed!" and thus he led them on with deluding thoughts... (7:19-22)

And out of this story comes the Divine admonition:

O children of Adam! Do not allow Satan to seduce you in the same way as he caused your ancestors to be driven out of the garden... (7:27)

Thus, we should heed the warning of the Lord our God and not allow Satan to deceive us into fighting each other; killing each other for no good reason; hating each other for the color of the other's skin; neglecting those of us in need; calling each other "the enemy" when, truly, our enemy is Satan. We must be very careful against his machinations, because, he vowed unto God:

"Now that Thou has thwarted me, I shall certainly lie in ambush for them all along They straight way and shall most certainly fall upon them openly as well as in a manner beyond their ken, and from their right and from their left: and most of them Thou will find ungrateful." (7:16-17)

We must be very careful against his machinations, because, we bear ultimate responsibility for our actions. "The Devil made me do it" is not an adequate excuse; it will not suffice to protect us from being taken to account for our actions. In fact, Satan himself will tell all those who followed him exactly that:

And when everything will have been decided, Satan will say: "Behold, God promised you something that was bound to come true! I, too, held out [all manner of] promises to you, but I deceived you. Yet, I had no power at all over you: I but called you and you responded to unto me. Hence, do not blame me, but blame your own selves. It is not for me to respond to your cries, nor for you to respond to mine: for, behold, I have [always] refused to admit that there was any truth in your erstwhile belief that I had a share in God's divinity." Verily, for all evildoers there is grievous suffering in store. (14:22)

What a vicious enemy indeed. What a malignant foe indeed. With such an enemy constantly at war with us, how can we waste time fighting each other? How can we not see that it is Satan who is the enemy? Let us resolve, in this year 2007, to stop throwing stones at each other and start throwing stones at Satan: our real enemy.

The ritual is another example of the violence that inspired by the Islamic religion. We should not be surprised when considering that the roots are from a violent and hostile source.

Assalamu Aliakum, Stoning of our inner demons and emphasis on the big Jihad against Shaiton and our desires. Incidentally, having participated in Hajj this year, Alhumdullillah and may Allah accept from us, Jamarat was very safe and organized. With new infrastructure and traffic flow improvements, should not be a problem in future Hajjs, Inshallah.

How can we, Muslim and Jew alike, recognize Satan enough to throw stones at him?

Evil, like Righteousness, can be recognized by guidance from the Quran and Sunnah (Traditions) of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH). Allah's signs are clear to those who sincerely seek them.

To limit one's answer to the phrase "from the Quran and Sunnah" is so vague that not only does it promote conflict between Muslim and non-Muslim, but, as the Sunni-Shia history shows, between and Muslim and Muslim as well. Wouldn't everyone like to hear some specifics devoid of contradictions?

Suggest that you read the Quran and Sunnah for the guidance that you seek. These sources are easily accessible, for and open to all humanity without contradiction or conflict. Peace.

That is no answer, tarika. Religious texts can be misinterpreted or reinterpreted. To be readily understood interpretations must be made separate from the text itself. To refrain from doing so can only mean the same text will mean different things to different people, as one pleases. The violent religion-invoked conflicts between different Muslim communities makes this entirely clear. So how are we supposed to tell the will of Satan from the will of G-d in all this?

Solomon2: Recommend that you not confuse the actions of some Muslims with the clarity and perfection of Islam/His Guidance. Nor assume that violence is perpetrated and conducted only by those appearing to be in conflict. Although I think that it is better if you seek guidance directly from Islamic sources, I appreciate your tenacity (while not questioning your motives) and hope this will get you started...so will attempt to pass on a few of Allah SWTs signs from his Noble Reading, (may He accept from us, guide us and forgive us any misgivings) and the guidance or our beloved Prophet Muhammed (PBUH):

On Belief in One God and Wisdom: "For Believers are those who, when God is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put all of their trust in Him. Who establish regular prayers and spend freely out of the gifts We have given them for sustenance (8:2-3) "I will rehearse what God has really prohibited you from: Join not anything with Him, be good to your parents, kill (harm) not your children on plea of want - We provide sustenance for you and for them - come not nigh to shameful deeds, whether open or secret; Take not life, which God has made sacred, except by way of justice and law; Thus does He command you, that you may learn wisdom."

On Prayer: "Say: God's guidance is the only guidance and we have been directed to submit ourselves to the Lord of the Worlds - to establish regular prayers and to fear (and love) Him...His Word is the Truth."

On Charity: "Those who (in Charity) spend of their goods by night and by day, in secret and in public, have their reward with thier Lord. On them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve.: (2:274, also, see 2:261-273)

On Usury: "Those who devour usury will not stand except as stands one whom the Evil One by his touch has driven to madness...God has permitted trade but forbidden usury (giving and taking interest, et al.). (2:275)

On Gossip and Backbiting: "Woe to every kind of scandalmonger and backbiter, who piles up wealth and lays it by, thinking that wealth would make him last forever!" (104:1-3)

Continued:

On Fraudulent Dealings: "Woe to those that deal in fraud - those who when they have to receive by measure exact full measure, but when they give by measure or weight give less than due. Do they think that they will not be called to account?" (83:1-4)

On Gambling and Intoxicants: "Oh Believers, intoxicants and gambling are an abomination of Satan's handiwork. Eschew these abominations that you may prosper. Satans plan is to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the rememberence of God, and from prayer: will you not then abstain?" (5:90-91)

From the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) - primarily from Al-Bukhari and Muslim:

Righteousness is good morality, and wrongdoing is that which wavers in your soul and which you dislike people finding out about.

None of you truly believes until he wishes the good for his brother that he wishes for himself.

Let him who believes in God and the Last Day either speak good or keep silent, be generous to his neighbor, and be generous to his guest.

A man said to the Prophet (PBUH): Counsel me. Prophet Muhammed said: Do not become angry. The man repeated his request several times, and the Prophet again said: Do not become angry (always control your anger).

Each person's every joint must perform a charity every day the sun comes up: to act justly between two people is a charity; to help a man with his mount, lifting him onto it or hoisting up his belongings onto it is a charity; every step one takes on their way to prayers is a charity; and removing a harmful thing from the road is a charity.

God the Almighty has laid down religious duties, so do not neglect them; He has set boundaries, so do not overstep them; He has prohibited some things, so do not violate them; about some things He was silent - out of compassion for you, not forgetfulness, so seek not after them.

A man came to the Prophet (PBUH) and said: Oh Messenger of God, direct me to an act which if I do it, God will love me and people will love me. He said, Renounce the world and Allah will love you, and renounce what people possess and people will love you. (Ibn Majah)

>>can be recognized by guidance from the Quran and Sunnah

Yes, but not every person has an equal ability to recognize the guidance itself, even Muslims! And certainly, not every person has an equal *willingness* to embody Quranic teachings, even us (sometimes, especially us).

For those sincerely seeking guidance, may God guide them to the straight way.

Would anyone else care to join in the discussion?

Much religous voo-doo and superstition.
A whole article devoted to 'fighting' a supernatural 'devil'.

I thought this was a progressive site where secularism was allowed and people have better things to do with their lives than bury themselves in Holy Books.

Why not stop worrying about devils and worshipping all day and going to work for a Charity.

Forget the Jinns and all day prayer. GET TO WORK with progressive Lives.