Mina is a valley located 6 kilometers east of the Masjid-al-Haram in the holy city of Makkah. Staying in Mina is among the necessary rituals of the obligatory pilgrimage i.e., Hajj. Mina is also known as the ‘Tent city’ where Hajj pilgrims sleep overnight on the 8th, 11th, 12th and sometimes on the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah as well. The valley of Mina contains the Jamarat (the three stone pillars) which are pelted by pilgrims as part of the rituals of Hajj pilgrimage through hajj packages UK 2022.

Here’s the importance of Mina in Hajj. 

Significance of Mina region.

There are certain practices that must be performed by the pilgrims during the Hajj and one such thing is their stay in Mina. After Hajj pilgrims embark upon their tawaf, they return to Mina traveling via foot or bus to this religious destination. 

The entire day and night are spent in supplications while resigning in tents laid out for their convenience. This is commonly referred to as Layali-al-Tashriq. During this time, pilgrims of Hajj keep themselves engaged in offering prayers, reciting Holy Quran, performing Dhikr and supplicating to Allah Almighty. 

The rise of dawn in Mina signifies the pilgrims’ exit from the Mina region as they travel to the plain of Arafat to begin the next important rituals of Hajj pilgrimage.

Stoning of the Devil.

On the 3rd day of Hajj, pilgrims move to this area before sunrise. This is where the hajj pilgrims take part in the ritual of Rami-al-Jamarat (Stoning of the Devil). Pebbles are collected for this ritual one day before from Muzdalifah. These are then struck at any of the three stone pillars standing in Mina namely;

1.Jamarat-al- Aqaba (the largest).

2.Jamarat-al-Wusta (the middle one).

3.Jamarat-al-Sughra (the smallest).

History of Rami Ritual.

The ritual of Rami-al-Jamarat dates back to the time when Sheitan was trying to persuade Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) into disobeying Allah’s command of sacrificing his son Hazrat Ismail (AS). All of the pebbles thrown by the pilgrims at those three pillars represent the rejection shown by Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) of Sheitan as he (AS) chased him away. One of the reasons why this place is called Mina is because of the very reason that the name implies the ‘place where he was tested’ and the ‘place where he succeeded’.

Therefore, the end of the Rami ritual is followed by the slaughtering of animals (sheep, cows, camels) i.e., the Nahar ritual. and then distributing their meat to the poor and underprivileged.

Annually, nearly four million pilgrims arrive and stay annually in the Mina region as part of their Hajj pilgrimage. To accommodate such a large number of pilgrims, there are around 100,000 air-conditioned and Teflon-covered tents.