Is the stoning of the pillars a stoning of Satan?

The Shaykh : He says: The author of *Udhu' al-Bayan* (may Allah have mercy on him) cited a narration from al-Bayhaqi and al-Hakim from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), traced to the Prophet, that Satan used to expose himself to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) every time he stoned the pillars of the prophets. He also cited from al-Hakim that it meets the conditions of the two Shaykhs, and that al-Dhahabi agreed with him, saying it meets the conditions of Muslim. Shaykh al-Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) used this as evidence that the stoning of the pillars includes stoning Satan. This is not correct. First, the hadith that is authentic from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) is [different]. Second, if Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) stoned Satan in these three places by stoning Satan himself, then regarding us, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explained to us that the stoning of the pillars is for establishing the remembrance of Allah. For example, if someone were to say that Isma'il (may Allah be pleased with him) used to walk between al-Safa and al-Marwah waiting for or seeking someone to save him from thirst and hunger, would we, when we walk, be seeking that? No. The reason for the one who did it the first time may be different from the reason for others. In any case, the stoning of the pillars is only for establishing the remembrance of Allah. And because of this belief, which is not based on a principle—namely, that one stons Satan—the affliction at the stoning of the pillars now is that every person comes with anger, intensity, and harshness, and he curses this place, saying, "You are the one who separated me from my wife, you are the one who did this, and you are the one who left this," and he curses, may Allah protect us.

The Shaykh : They say that they are doing this to honor Allah the Mighty and Majestic and to establish His remembrance. He asks: What is your opinion regarding some phrases, such as “The Qur'an speaks to us” or “The Qur'an talks to us”? Some people have prohibited these, claiming that it is Allah who speaks the Qur'an, not the Qur'an itself. It appears that there is nothing wrong with it, because the Qur'an is undoubtedly a speech. Allah the Exalted said: The term “speaking” (takhdir) is applied to the speaker himself and to the speech itself. However, there is no doubt that if one were to say “Allah informs us” or “Allah speaks to us,” that would be better and safer for his conscience. Yes, this is correct. Yes, it is the same. And this is Waleed Fathi Sa'dawi,