Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, one of the biggest vacation on the Islamic calendar which commemorates sacrifice and submission to God.
The festival, from June 6 to 9, honors the will of the prophet Ibrahim to obey the order of God to sacrifice his only son Ismail, ignoring the devil’s attempts to dissuade him from the act.
The devil appeared in front of Ibrahim three times, but the prophet responded by throwing stones, pushing him. While he was about to kill his son, God remained his hand and spared his son, giving him a lamb to sacrifice instead.
The “feast of sacrifice” is traditionally marked by the slaughter of an animal, generally by a goat, sheep, a cow, a bull or a camel, the meat shared between the neighbors, the family members and the poor.
The start of the event coincides with the end rites of the annual hajj, the unique pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, observed by adult Muslims.
In memory of the resistance of Ibrahim to Satan, the pilgrims in Hajj participate in a symbolic “stoning of the devil” at the Jamarat complex in Mina, near Mecca.
The stoning ritual takes place in the three places where it is said that the devil tried to dissuade Ibrahim from obeying God, represented by three concrete walls.
The pilgrims collected their pebbles during the night Thursday in Muzdalifah, an area located a few kilometers from Arafat, a hill outside the city of Mecca with great spiritual meaning.
Friday, around 1.6 million pilgrims stoned the devil, throwing their pebbles on the concrete walls of Mina.
For some, the ritual marks a solemn moment – a complete submission to God. For others, this represents a victory over evil.
