nor is it the spot for casting; it was erected only as a marker of the Jamrah. The actual place of stoning is the basin, so if a pebble strikes the pillar and flies off without landing in the basin, the throw is invalid.

The weak and those in similar circumstances may stone it after midnight. Should others do so after midnight, their stoning is still valid, but it is less than optimal for them.

It is sunnah that, upon reaching Mina, one perform nothing before casting at Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, for this constitutes the greeting of Mina. With each pebble he should proclaim takbīr and say, “O Allah, make it an accepted pilgrimage and a forgiven sin.” On the Day of Sacrifice he stones no Jamrah other than al-ʿAqabah; this is one of the characteristics that set it apart from the other Jamrāt.

After stoning Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, the preferable act is to slaughter his sacrificial animal—if he is obliged to offer the tamattuʿ or qirān sacrifice—so he buys it, slaughters it, distributes its meat, and keeps a portion for himself to eat.

He then shaves his head or shortens his hair, and shaving is superior, as Allah says: “having shaved your heads and clipped your hair” [48:27]. Ibn ʿUmar related that “the Messenger of Allah ﷺ shaved his head during the Farewell Pilgrimage” (agreed upon). The Prophet ﷺ invoked blessings for those who shave three times, and for those who merely shorten once.