Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
By throwing pebbles, one emulates Prophet Ibrahim when Satan blocked his way at that place in order to cast doubts in his heart or tempt him and divert him away from his Lord, so Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to drive the Satan away by throwing pebbles at him.
Concerning the wisdom behind throwing the pebbles, Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq states in his well-known book Fiqh As-Sunnah:
The Story of Throwing Pebbles
Ibn Abbas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) wanted to perform the Hajj rites, Satan blocked his way near Aqabah. Prophet Ibrahim threw seven pebbles at him whereupon Satan sank into the ground. Again Satan appeared to him near the second Jamarah.
Prophet Ibrahim threw seven pebbles at him and he again sank into the ground. Once again Satan approached him near the third Jamarat, and again Prophet Ibrahim threw seven pebbles at him and once again the Satan sank into the ground.”
Ibn Abbas added, “You throw pebbles at Satan, and (in doing so) you follow the path of your (great) forefather Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him).
Wisdom of Throwing Pebbles
In his Ihya’ Ulum Ad-Deen, Al-Ghazali says,
“As to the throwing of the pebbles, it is an expression of the pilgrim’s intention to obey Allah’s commandment, and a demonstration of his humility and servitude to Him. It signifies compliance with the divine commandment without any trace therein of any selfish pleasure; sensuous or intellectual.”
By throwing pebbles, one emulates Prophet Ibrahim when Satan blocked his way at that place in order to cast doubts in his heart or tempt him and divert him away from his Lord, so Allah commanded Prophet Ibrahim to drive the Satan away by throwing pebbles at him.
Therefore, if you are tempted to think that Satan appeared to Prophet Ibrahim and, therefore, he threw pebbles at him but you are not tempted by Satan so there is no need for you to throw these pebbles – if such a thought comes to you – then you must realize that this thought, itself, is from Satan.
He suggests it to make you think there is no benefit in it and so weakens your resolve and prevents you from throwing the pebbles. Fight against these evil whispers with firmness, resolution and by throwing the pebbles despite these suggestions.
You must also realize that although you are apparently throwing pebbles at the Jamarats, in reality you are hurling them in the face of Satan and thereby breaking his backbone. This is not possible except by submitting to the commandments of Allah, with submission to Him, and without seeking gratification of any personal desire.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.