rajm

rajm, in Islam, ritual stoning as a punishment, especially as prescribed for fornication. The term also refers to the ritual casting of stones at the Devil during the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca). That particular rite co-occurs with Eid al-Adha, the Muslim festival commemorating Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son and God’s mercy in sparing him. On the 10th day of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, the start of the festival, hajj pilgrims each throw seven small stones at Jamrat al-ʿAqabah—one of three stone walls (jamrahs) located in the valley of Minā—which is identified by tradition as the site where the patriarch Abraham stoned Satan for attempting to dissuade him from carrying out God’s commandment. On the remaining days of the festival—the 11th, 12th, and 13th of the month—the ritual is repeated at all three jamrahs; each is pelted with seven stones every noon for the three days.

Though practice of the rite is more or less uniform among pilgrims, the number of stones to be cast and the exact point in the pilgrimage at which the rite takes place have historically been somewhat variable, due to the flexibility (rukhṣah) granted in the traditional teachings of Muhammad (Hadith). The directives are much clearer, however, for the quality of the stones as well as the manner in which they should be thrown. Stones for the rajm should be found in their natural state, rather than broken from larger rocks; precious stones and stones made of gold and silver are forbidden as wasteful and dangerous. The stones may not be thrown violently and should be not much larger than a lentil so that no harm is caused if someone is struck by accident. Any stones that are collected but not used on the pilgrimage must subsequently be buried, for once they reach the sacred shrine in Mecca, they assume a sacred character.

While the casting of stones at the Devil symbolizes the expulsion of evil and the abandonment of worldly thoughts, it also serves to protect the pilgrims from evil when they return to everyday life. Pious Muslims who encourage reciting religious formulas as each stone is thrown emphasize the spiritual meaning of rajm. They thus consider the practice not so much a symbolic cursing or punishing of the Devil as a means of invoking the name of God.