Fact Check: No, This Image Doesn't Show A Shivling at Mecca
The photo shows one of the three jamarat in Mina, which is part of a devil stoning ritual in Islam.;
A photo showing people around a stone pillar with a low, circular boundary wall, is being shared on social media, where users have claimed that it shows a Shivling at Saudi Arabia's Mecca, the holy site for those practising Islam.
- The photo was also shared in an article by News Nation, which claimed that Muslims were worshipping the Hindu deity 'Makkeshwar Mahadev' at the site, from which the name 'Mecca' was derived.
An archived version of this report can be seen here.
(Source: NewsNation/Screenshot)
(Archived versions of more claims on social media can be seen here, here, and here.)
Is it true?: No, it shows one of the three pillars signifying the devil, or Shaitaan, in Islam, which Hajj pilgrims throw stones at, as a part of ritual.
- After a deadly stampede in 2004, the pillars were turned into walls to ensure pilgrims' safety.
The photo was shared as one of the Hajj pilgrimage.
(Source: Alamy/Screenshot)
How did we find out the truth?: We conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens, which led us to stock image website Alamy.
- Here, it was shared as a photo of the Hajj pilgrimage which Muslims undertake, involving travel to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
It also led us to a photo story by India.com, which said that it showed pictures showing how the Hajj was performed, taken by The National Geographic Magazine in July 1953.
The images were credited to The National Geographic Magazine.
(Source: India.com/Screenshot)
Taking a cue from this, we began looking for the magazine's archived edition on Wayback Machine, an internet archiving website.
We found the July 1953 edition of The National Geographic Magazine, whose feature story was titled, "From America to Mecca on Airborne Pilgrimage," and was documented by one Abdul Ghafur Sheikh.
The journey was documented by a Harvard Business School student in 1953.
(Source: Wayback Machine/Screenshot)
It was printed on page 38 of the magazine, with the description of the image being shared on the previous page.
The description was titled, "Pebbles Fly. The Pillar is Stoned at Mina," which is a city close to Mecca.
The photo's caption explains that it shows pilgrims participating in a ritual to denote denouncement of the devil.
(Source: The National Geographic Magazine/Wayback Machine/Altered by The Quint)
The text explained what was happening in the image, saying that "according to Moslem legend (sic)," Ishmael, son of Abraham, "encountered the devil three times," while the two were on their way to sacrifice Ishmael alive as per God's instruction.
It added that the father-son duo pelted stones at the devil to evade him, which pilgrims also practice, to denote that they are rejecting the devil while on their way to Mecca during Hajj.
The ritual: To understand the practise better, The Quint reached out to Imam Waris Raza of Bareilly's Khan Bahadur Khan Masjid in Uttar Pradesh, who gave us more context.
He clarified the structure was not a shivaling, but one of three pillars erected to symbolise shaitaan (the devil).
Providing the story behind the pillar's significance, he said that the pillar —known as jamarat in Islam — was a part of the important rituals one performed during the Hajj pilgrimage.
"At about the age of 70, Prophet Ibrahim had a son, Ismail. In a dream, he was told that he must sacrifice something important to him. When the prophet gave it some thought, he realised that his son was the most dear to him, so he went to Mina to offer Ismail as a living sacrifice, since Allah had instructed him to do so."
Imam Waris Raza of the Khan Bahadur Khan Masjid
- When this happened, the devil appeared in front of the prophet's wife Hagar/Hajar, telling her about his actions, the Imam said, adding that she was in agreement with Prophet Ibrahim's actions, saying that "if Allah has demanded it, I am ready to sacrifice a thousand sons for it."
- "Disappointed by her response, the devil then appeared in front of the prophet and Ismail in a human form three times to stop him from following Allah's instruction," the Imam told us.
- Each time this happened, the prophet threw seven pebbles at the devil, and "to mark these spots, three stones (jamarat) were erected."
We found the same information a catalogue about the history and significance of the Hajj pilgrimage, titled 'Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam', published by the British Museum.
The British Museum's catalogue corroborated the Imam's explanation.
(Source: Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam/Altered by The Quint)
None of the historical records or news reports related to this pillar mentioned anything related to a 'Makkeshwar Mahadev' or a shivling.
More on the pillars: The pillars were maintained in their original form until 2004, when a 27-minute-long stampede during the devil stoning ritual claimed 244 lives.
- The Saudi Arabian government then turned the pillars into walls for safety, and to avoid pilgrims accidentally hitting fellow pilgrims on the other side of the pillar with the pebbles.
- One can watch a video of the ritual in this Associated Press video from 2014.
Conclusion: A 1953 photo of a now-changed pillar in Mina, Saudi Arabia is being falsely shared as one of a shivling in Mecca.