Newsday.com - Muslims on Hajj Stone Devil Symbol The devil stoning is the hajj's most animated ritual and possibly most dangerous as many pilgrims frantically pelt rocks, shout insults or hurl flip-flops or shoes at the pillars -- acts that are supposed to demonstrate their deep disdain for the devil. Clerics frown upon such action and say it's un-Islamic.

On Saturday, some pilgrims wore goggles to protect their eyes from pebbles ricocheting off the pillars, which stand 50 feet high and a yard wide. Other pilgrims ducked after throwing a pebble to avoid being hit by someone else's.