Hajj pilgrims stone the devil in final ritual

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Muslim pilgrims performed the final ritual of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Mecca, symbolically stoning the devil. This religious practice reenacts the Prophet Abraham's defiance against Satan's temptations during his test of faith.

Muslim faithful took part in the climactic ritual of the annual hajj pilgrimage on Wednesday, symbolically stoning the devil near Mecca. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gathered in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Mecca, to throw pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil. It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.