Mina منى

Overview

Mina (مِنَى) is a desert valley about 5 kilometers east of Mecca, lying between the city and Arafat. It is the tent-city of Hajj, where pilgrims camp on the 8th, 10th, 11th, 12th, and sometimes 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah. Mina is the site of the stoning of the three pillars (jamarat) and of the sacrificial offerings (هَدْي, hady) that commemorate the trial of Ibrahim.

Etymology

Classical lexicographers connect Mina to the root م-ن-ي, conveying "to flow" or "to be destined," referencing the blood that flowed there from sacrifices or the destiny met by pilgrims gathered together. Ibn Kathir notes that Adam is said to have wished (tamanna) for Paradise in this valley.

Quranic references

Surah Al-Baqarah 2:203 — 'And remember Allah during [specific] numbered days. Then whoever hastens [his departure] in two days, there is no sin upon him.' These "numbered days" are the days of tafseer-identified tashreeq spent in Mina.

وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْدُودَاتٍ

Surah As-Saffat 37:102 — 'O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you.' This trial of Ibrahim and his son occurred in this valley. Surah Al-Hajj 22:28 — 'That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days.' Surah Al-Baqarah 2:200 — 'And when you have completed your rites, remember Allah like your [previous] remembrance of your fathers or with [much] greater remembrance.'

Hadith and tradition

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The days of Tashreeq are days of eating, drinking, and remembrance of Allah." — Sahih Muslim 1141

Ibn Abbas reported that the Prophet ﷺ stoned the Jamrah on the Day of Sacrifice from the bottom of the valley, saying the takbeer with each pebble (Sahih al-Bukhari 1750). The Prophet ﷺ also taught: "When one of you stones the Jamarat, it is for the establishment of the remembrance of Allah" (Sunan Abi Dawud 1888, graded Sahih by al-Albani).

Significance

The three pillars at Mina mark the spots where Iblis attempted to dissuade Ibrahim from sacrificing his son. Pilgrims throw seven pebbles at each, enacting the rejection of Shaytan's whisperings. The slaughter of livestock at Mina on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah commemorates the ram Allah sent as ransom and is celebrated worldwide as Eid al-Adha. After stoning and sacrifice, the pilgrim shaves or shortens the hair and returns to Mecca for tawaf al-ifadah, before going back to Mina for the remaining nights.

See also

• Arafat
• Hajj
• Ibrahim
• The Kaaba
• The Five Pillars

References

1. Ibn Kathir, Tafsir al-Quran al-Azim, commentary on Surah As-Saffat 37:99–113.
2. al-Tabari, Jami al-Bayan, on Surah Al-Baqarah 2:203.
3. al-Nawawi, al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Hajj.
4. Ibn al-Qayyim, Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-Ibad, chapter on the Prophet's ﷺ Hajj.