'I Am No Shaitan': Hajj Pilgrim's Reaction During Devil-Stoning Ritual Goes Viral

As scores of faithful Muslims continue to perform their Hajj 2026 rituals in Makkah, one light-hearted incident that took place during the stoning of the devil in Mina went viral online.

Over one million white-robed pilgrims performed Hajj this year, contending with searing desert heat as they completed the days-long, mostly outdoor rituals, with temperatures reaching around 44°C in Makkah and Mina.

In the video, an Asian Hajj pilgrim is seen walking in front of a concrete structure symbolising the devil, when a stone thrown by a female pilgrim appears to accidentally hit him. He then moves his head to avoid being hit again, and jokingly tells the woman who threw the pebble, "I am no shaitan (devil)".

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Watch the full video here:

What is the stoning ritual?

Muslim faithful ritually stone the devil in the climactic ceremony of the hajj pilgrimage every year. From dawn, crowds of pilgrims gather in the valley of Mina, southeast of the holy city of Makkah, to throw small pebbles at concrete pillars symbolising the devil.

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

After this ceremony, the pilgrims return to Makkah for a last circumambulation of the Kaaba at the heart of the Grand Mosque towards which Muslims turn when they pray.

Hajj 2026 statistics

Saudi's General Authority for Statistics announced that the total number of pilgrims in 2026 was 1,707,301, including 1,546,655 pilgrims who arrived from outside the Kingdom, while the number of domestic pilgrims reached 160,646. Among them, there were 893,396 males and 813,905 females.

In comments on how pilgrims flocked to the holy Muslim city from abroad this year ahead of the annual Hajj, the authority clarified that a total of 1,485,729 arrived via air entry points, while 54,429 pilgrims entered via land ports, and 6,497 via sea ports.

(With inputs from AFP)

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