until 1377 AH. When the streets of Mina were widened that year, the ridge in question was removed, and Jamrat al-ʿAqabah came to be stoned from level ground on all four sides. The removal was authorized by the Grand Mufti, Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Āl al-Shaykh, in his letter dated 1 / 9 / 1375 AH. Then, in 1383 AH, a second deck was constructed above all three jamrahs, so that they could be pelted from ground level as well as from the upper level. This addition, too, was approved by the Mufti in his letter dated 25 / 6 / 1382 AH.

The history of the three jamrahs dates back to the time of Abraham, the Close Friend (peace be upon him), when Satan confronted him at these three stations to deter him from carrying out Allah’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Abraham pelted Satan with stones and drove him away. Thus, most of the rites and symbols of the pilgrimage are acts of worship directed to Allah and reminders of the trials faced by His righteous servants.