The meaningless Haj pilgrimage.

Do Muslims ever give a second thought to all the rituals they are supposed to perform? The Haj pilgrimage to Mecca seems to me to be a total waste of time and money, especially if you are coming from a distant place. I am sure that if Allah existed he would have had the sense not to subject his followers to such a trying experience. There would have been no use for it and certainly no use for stones being flown towards the "devil". Allah would have taken care of the devil himself. Indeed He would not have allowed the miscreant to exist in the first place. Many of the pilgrims die in Mecca and many more fall sick and for what? A friend of mine went on such a trip and while he was "stoning the devil" he himself got stoned from behind by a rock falling short of its target. Peace be upon you! Or should it be piece of rock?