Ending the Hajj
Updated on 10 January 2006
The Hajj has so far passed off without the casualties of previous years when hundreds have been trampled in the crowds of pilgrims taking part in the "stoning of the devil" ceremony.
Muslim pilgrims 'stone the devil' in Mena outside Mecca January 10, 2006. (Reuters)
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More than two and half million people have gone to Saudi Arabia this year for the Hajj - the pilgrimage which every muslim who is able is supposed to perform at least once in their lifetime. The register shows they hail from one hundred and seventy eight different countries.
Today's symbolic stoning of the devil is of the final and most iconic of rituals. This time it began before dawn prayers - after a special religious edict two years ago to avoid the stampedes that have left dozens dead in the past.
The crowds threw stones at the one of the three pillars in Mina, on the outskirts of Mecca - symbolising the times Abraham is said to have rebuked the devil for trying to break his faith. It is believed that at the time God was testing Abraham by seeing if he would sacrifice his son for his faith - when Abraham agreed to go through with it God accepted a ram instead.
After stoning the devil those who shave their heads return to the great mosque in mecca for more prayers.
