Stay in Mina

Stay in Mina

The twelfth obligation in Hajj is to spend the nights of the eve of the eleventh and twelfth in Mina. It is necessary to form the intention to do so in order to attain the nearness of Allah. If, on the day of Idd, the pilgrim departs to Makkah to perform the Tawaaf and Saee, it is obligatory on him to return to Mina to spend the night there. He who has not refrained from hunting in the state of ihram must also spend the night of the eve of the thirteenth in Mina. As a matter of caution, so must one who has not abstained from sexual intercourse in the state of ihram. Apart from these two categories, the remaining pilgrims can depart from Mina after Zuhr on the twelfth but if they delay their departure till night falls, they must spend the night of the eve of the thirteenth in Mina till dawn.

If a pilgrim prepares himself to depart from Mina and leaves the premises he occupied there but is unable to depart from Mina because of the great rush of pilgrims or for other reason, then, if it is possible for him to spend the night there, it is obligatory to do so but if there is some difficulty about spending the night there, he is permitted to leave Mina though, as a matter of caution, must sacrifice a sheep as a penalty.

If it becomes obligatory on a person to spend the night in Mina, it is not necessary for him to spend the whole of the following day there also; he need stay just long enough to throw the pebbles at the three Jamaraat. Nor is it obligatory to spend the entire night there; it is enough if he remains there from the beginning of the night to a little after midnight or from a little before midnight till dawn. It is preferable that he should spend the first half of the night there but must not enter Makkah before sunrise.

There are some exceptions to the rule requiring stay in Mina:

(1) A person who finds it difficult to stay or one who fears danger to life or property by staying in Mina;

(2) those spending the whole night in worship in Makkah, except for the time needed to meet necessities like food, drink, etc;

(3) those who, having performed the Tawaaf, remain in prayers and then depart from Makkah crossing beyond the city, can remain on the route without the need to have entered Mina and are permitted to delay their return to Mina to throw the pebbles.

(4) people who bring water for the pilgrims.

One who omits to spend the nights in Mina must sacrifice a sheep for every night as a penalty except for groups (2), (3) and (4) above. As a matter of caution, even those who omit to do so by oversight or out of ignorance of the rule or are excused from spending the nights there must sacrifice a sheep.

A person who departs from Mina and then re-enters at night on the eve of the thirteenth on some business does not need to spend the night there.