At the pillars during Hajj

A: The questioner mentioned that he threw the pebbles at Jamarat-ul-‘Aqabah on the 11th day, before the ‘Asr Prayer for himself and his son; and he threw the seven pebbles all at one time. He also threw the pebbles for himself and his son before dawn on the third day. As for Jamarat-ul-‘Aqabah, his throwing the pebbles all at one time is considered to be throwing one pebble, and this does not suffice, as it was obligatory on him and his son to throw their own pebbles in order, because the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did so and said, “Take your (Hajj) rituals from me.” Basically, any imperative entails obligation, unless there is evidence specifying otherwise. In this issue, as far as we know, there is no such evidence.As for his throwing the pebbles for himself and his son before dawn on the third day, this was done before its due time, which begins after the sun passes its zenith (midday) on that day. (Part No. 11; Page No. 281) The evidence is that the Messenger (peace be upon him) threw the pebbles at the Jamarat on the Days of Tashriq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) after the sun has passed its zenith and said, “Take your (Hajj) rituals from me.” As previously mentioned, an imperative denotes that this is an obligation. Therefore, both the questioner and his son left out one of the rituals of Hajj, and it is obligatory on each of them to slaughter a sheep. If they are not able to do so, they should observe Sawm (fast) for ten days. The sheep that will suffice is one that meets the conditions for an Ud-hiyah (sacrificial animal offered by non-pilgrims). It should be slaughtered in the Haram (the Sacred Sanctuary of Makkah) and distributed among the poor people there. The origin of the rule necessitating the slaughtering of a sheep is to be found in an Athar (narration from the Companions) related from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said, “Anyone who misses any of the rites or forgets to do one, should slaughter a sacrificial animal.” May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.