The third day of Hajj is considered to be the most difficult day of the pilgrimage. Around the world on this day, Muslims who aren’t making the pilgrimage celebrate Eid Ul-Adha, known as the festival of sacrifice, and one of two Muslim holidays.

The hujjaj will pray Fajr (dawn prayer), in Muzdalifah, and then make the trip back to Mina. Afterwards, they will walk to the areas of three gigantic pillars, each representing an attempt made by Satan to dissuade the Prophet Abraham from obeying God’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

On his way to carrying out God’s Will, Satan repeatedly tried to distract him by appealing to his emotions, at which the Angel Gabriel instructed him to throw pebbles at Satan.

A continuous example to Muslims, each of Prophet Abraham’s stories have strong meaning and opportunities for self-reflection. More than just throwing pebbles at Satan, what Prophet Abraham did was set his own desires aside to follow the Will of God. For him, and for us, throwing pebbles at Satan or his representation is an exercise of faith, and a reminder for us all that when Satan comes to us, it is our responsibility and our duty to cast him aside from our presence and from our mind.

Traditionally, once the hujjaj have finished throwing their stones, they would sacrifice an animal per household. However, because of the sheer amount of people, the government takes on this responsibility.

Continuing the story of Prophet Ibrahim, when he went to sacrifice his son to follow God’s command, God replaced his son with a ram to be sacrificed instead. Muslims sacrifice an animal in honor of Prophet Abraham’s actions and his commitment to following the commands of God, no matter how difficult they may seem.

After throwing their stones, men shave their heads or trim their hair and return to their regular clothes. Women, can snip a bit of their hair, but aren’t required to do so. Afterwards, the hujjaj travel to Makkah to circle the Kaaba seven times, and perform Sa’ee, which is the reenactment of Hagar looking for help for her infant son Ishmael between the hills of Safa and Marwa. After performing these rites, they return to Mina for the night.