Khadhf (throwing small pebbles; stoning the jamarat)

الخذف

Khadhf is lexically throwing a pebble or stone held between two fingers, or with a wooden catapult or sling; it means throwing small pebbles with the fingertips, and can also mean the sling itself. Related words (hadhf, qadhf, ilqa') share the sense of throwing, but khadhf is a particular manner of throwing. ¹ The root ruling is the report that the Prophet ﷺ forbade khadhf, because it neither kills game nor wounds an enemy, and it blinds the eye and breaks the tooth. Jurists differ: some forbid it absolutely (Qadi Iyad); others weigh benefit and permit it in war or hunting when it does not usually kill, Ibn Hajar distinguishing by the likely outcome; Taqi al-Din disliked pellet-throwing in all cases. Stone-throwing is allowed in war, training or unpaid contests. ^{1 2} Jurists also differ on what the reports on stoning the jamarat settle: the size of the pebble, the manner of throwing, or both. ³ The Hanafis give three manners and prefer holding the pebble between thumb and forefinger; they read the report about khadhf-sized pebbles as fixing size, not manner. ^{3 4} The Malikis agree on manner; the Shafiis call the khadhf grip disliked and prefer another; the Hanbalis name no particular manner. ⁴ On size there is agreement that the pebble should be small like khadhf pebbles, with differing measures: a bean for the Hanafis, a broad bean or a date stone for the Malikis, a broad bean for the Shafiis, and between a chickpea and a hazelnut for the Hanbalis. ^{4 5} Among its rulings is stoning the jamarat with khadhf-size pebbles, a rite of the Hajj, on the basis of the instruction to take pebbles of that size and the warning against excess in religion. ² Game killed by khadhf pebbles is not lawful, as the pebble counts as a blow that kills without a cut. ⁵