Entering ihram from the miqat is obligatory for anyone who passes it intending Umrah. Whoever passes it without ihram must go back to it; if he does not, he owes a sacrifice (dam) according to the majority.
The steps
- If you are flying: put on your ihram clothes, or have them ready, before take-off.
- The aircraft usually announces when it is about to pass the miqat; make your intention then, and do not delay it to Jeddah airport if your route passes the miqat.
- If you are travelling by land: enter ihram at the first miqat on your route.
- It is permissible to enter ihram before the miqat as a precaution, and this is easier on a plane.
- Whoever lives inside the miqat boundaries enters ihram from where they are. The people of Makkah enter ihram for Umrah from outside the Haram, such as at al-Tan‘im.
The evidence
The Prophet ﷺ set the miqats and said: “They are for their people and for those who pass by them from elsewhere, intending Hajj or Umrah” (al-Bukhari 1524, Muslim 1181, narrated by Ibn Abbas). The miqats are: Dhul-Hulayfah for the people of Madinah, al-Juhfah for the people of Sham, Qarn al-Manazil for the people of Najd, Yalamlam for the people of Yemen, and Dhat ‘Irq for the people of Iraq.
Common mistakes
- Delaying ihram to Jeddah when your flight passes over the miqat.
- Sleeping on the plane without having arranged your ihram intention in advance.