Pilgrims cast stones at ‘Satan' in Mina Tuesday. — Reuters Okaz/Saudi Gazette HOLY SITES — A senior Saudi scholar says Islamic law allows for the stoning of the Jamarat before noon (Zawal) on the days of Tashreeq. This will prevent overcrowding at the facility in Mina and at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Dr. Ali Bin Abbas Al-Hakami, a member of the Board of Senior Ulema and the Higher Judicial Council, said the ritual is allowed before Zawal if pilgrims are physically able to do so. Al-Hakami said that even with the expansion of the Jamarat Bridge, the authorities still have a problem controlling the masses of people. When pilgrims complete the ritual, they then rush off to Makkah which leads to overcrowding at the Grand Mosque, he added. Lt. Gen. Sa'eed Al-Qahtani, Director of Public Security, had earlier said that there was a “pressing need for a ruling to allow for stoning before Zawal because most pilgrims who finish the ritual immediately head to the Holy Mosque where they cause overcrowding and chaos”. Maj. Gen. Saad Al-Khelaiwi, Commander of Pedestrian Security at the holy sites, said it was important to facilitate matters for pilgrims while sticking to the ruling which allows for stoning at all times. Al-Hakami emphasized that the Fatwa allowing for stoning before Zawal was not suspended. However, many officials still see a need for issuing a ruling on the matter. Dr. Muhieddin Qurra Daghi, Professor of jurisprudence at Qatar University and an expert at the International Islamic Fiqh Academy in Makkah, said there are differences of opinion among the Ulema on the stoning at the Jamarat before the days of Tashreeq and stoning before noon after Al-Nahr Day (day of slaughter). He said scholars who allow stoning before Zawal on the first and second days of Tashreeq are following the views of Imam Abu Hanifa, who had allowed this. However, some followers of the Hanafi school say they prefer Jamarat stoning after noon. Daghi said other scholars and Hadith narrators had supported the practice of stoning before noon, using authenticated Hadith (sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him) narrated by Ibn Al-Zubair. In addition, some contemporary scholars such as Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zaid Aal Mahmood, Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Ansari have all supported the idea of stoning the Jamarat before noon, to make things easier for pilgrims. __
