Islam Guidance

Chapter one: Mīqāts

Chapter one: Mīqāts

They are the sites determined for doing iḥrām, they as the follows:

First: Masjid al-Shajarah. It is located in the region of Dhil-ḥalīfah near Medina al-munawwarh and it is the mīqāt of the people of Medina and those who want to go to hajj through it (Medina).

Issue 78. It is not permissible to delay iḥrām from masjid al-Shajarah to Juḥfah unless there is a necessity like illness, weakness or other excuses.
Issue 79. It is invalid to do iḥrām outside masjid al-Shajarah. However, it is valid to do it in any part of the masjid even the new parts.
Issue 80. A woman with an excuse (e.g. during her periods) must do iḥrām at the time when she crosses the masjid, if the crossing does not entail staying in it. If staying is necessary (due to crowd or something else) and she could not delay the iḥrām till the excuse is over, she must do iḥrām from Juḥfah or one of the parallel. She is also allowed to do iḥrām by nadhr from any place before the mīqāt.
Issue 81. If the husband is absent, it is not a condition to obtain his permission for the achievement of the nadhr of his wife to do iḥrām before the mīqāt. But if he is present, it is based on obligatory caution to obtain his permission; otherwise her nadhr will be invalid.

Second: WādÄ« al-‘aqÄ«q, which is the mÄ«qāt of the people from Iraq and Najd and those who want to pass this place for ‘umrah which has three portions: Maslakh, i.e. its first portion; al-Ghamrah, the middle; and Dhāt al-‘irq, the last portion. IhÌ£rām at any of these portions is valid.

Third: Juhfah. It is the mÄ«qāt of the people of Syria and the surrounding, Egypt, Maghrib and those who pass this place for ‘umrah. IhÌ£rām is valid either from the masjid or other places there.

Forth: Yalamlam, which is the mīqāt of the people of Yaman and those who pass it. It is a name for a mountain. Iḥrām is valid from any part of it.

Fifth: Qarn al-Manāzil, which is the mÄ«qāt of the people of Tā’Ä«f and those who pass it for ‘umrah. IhÌ£rām is valid either from the masjid or from other places there.

The places parallel to the previous mīqāts:
If one does not pass one of the previous mīqāts but reaches a place just parallel to one of them, he can do iḥrām from there. Parallel means to reach a point, on his way to Mecca, in which the mīqāt lies to the right or the left of him in such a way that if he goes forward, the mīqāt will be located behind him.
The mentioned mÄ«qāts are those in which one should do ihÌ£rām for ‘umrah of tamattu‘, while the mÄ«qāts of Hajjat al-tamattu‘, qirān and ifrād are:

First: Mecca, which is the mÄ«qāt of ahjj al-tamattu‘.
Second: The mukallaf's house, which is the mīqāt of those who live between Mecca and the mentioned mīqāts. It is also the mīqāt for people of Mecca, so they are not obliged to return back to one of the mentioned mīqāts for doing iḥrām.

Third: Andā al-hill, It is the mÄ«qāt of ‘umrah al-mufradah for the individuals who are inside Mecca al-Mukarramah. Among the Andā al-hÌ£ill places, the best are HÌ£udaybiyyah, Ja’rānah and Masjid al-Tan’Ä«m.

Mīqāt issues
Issue 82. If one cannot locate the mÄ«qāt or its parallel, it can be determined by shar‘Ä« evidence i.e. by the testimony of two just witnesses or the publicity which brings about confidence, and it is not obligatory to investigate it. If all evidences are lost, it is enough to suffice with the possibility of more than 50 percent obtained from the saying of anyone who knows the region.
Issue 83. Doing iḥrām before mīqāt is invalid unless one makes a nadhr to do iḥrām before the mīqāt in a certain place e.g. Medina or his country. Then he is obliged to do iḥrām from there and it is valid.
Issue 84. If one passes the mīqāt without ihram on purpose or due to ignorance or neglect, he should return to mīqāt to put on ihram there.
Issue 85. If one passes the mīqāt without iḥrām due to negligence, forgetfulness or ignorance of the ruling, then if he cannot return to the mīqāt due to shortage of time or another excuse while he has not yet entered the Ḥaram, then based on obligatory caution to go as near as possible to the mīqāt and do iḥrām there. If he is already inside the Ḥaram, then if he can go out he is obiged to do so and to put on ihram out of the haram but if he cannot go out, he should do iḥrām inside the Ḥaram at the point he is.
Issue 86. In normal conditions it is not permissible to delay iḥrām beyond the mīqāt whether there is another mīqāt in front of him or not.
Issue 87. One who has been prevented from wearing iḥrām in one of the mīqāts is allowed to do so in another one.
Issue 89. Jaddah is neither a mÄ«qāt nor a parallel region. Thus, doing ihÌ£rām for ‘umrah of tamattu‘ there, in normal conditions, is incorrect and one must go to a mÄ«qāt to do ihÌ£rām, as long as he could. Otherwise, based on caution, he should do ihÌ£rām by nadhr in Jaddah.
Issue 90. If a muhÌ£rim, after passing the mÄ«qāt, becomes aware that his ihÌ£rām was incorrect, if, then, he can return to it, he is obliged to. While if he cannot do so but by passing through Mecca al-mukarramah, he must do ihÌ£rām from Adnal-hill and enter Mecca for ‘umrah al-mufradah. Then, after performing it he should return back to one of the mÄ«qāts to do ihÌ£rām for ‘umrah of tamattu‘
Issue 91. Apparently it is allowed for someone who is confident that he will not miss the hajj to get out of Mecca after he becomes free of ihÌ£rām of ‘umrah of tamattu‘, although, based on mustahÌ£abb caution, it is better not to get out but for urgency and need. Again, it is based on caution to do ihÌ£rām for hajj in Mecca before getting out unless it would cause extraordinary hardship for him in which case he may go out of Mecca without ihram. One who wants to apply this caution and who is compelled to get out of Mecca one or more times, e.g. the workers of caravans and the likes, he can perform ‘umrah al-mufradah first to enter Mecca and delay ‘umrah of tamattu‘ until the time he could perform it just before hajj practices. At that time he would do ihÌ£rām for ‘umrah of tamattu‘ from the mÄ«qāt and after finishing it he would do ihÌ£rām for hajj in Mecca.
Issue 92. By getting out of Mecca between ‘umrah of tamattu‘ and hajj it is meant to get out of the contemporary Mecca al-mukarramah. Thus to go to a place which is now regarded inside Mecca is not considered as getting out, even if it was outside before.
Issue 93. After completing ‘umrah al-tamattu‘, if one leaves Mecca without ihÌ£rām, then if they return to Mecca during the same month, there is no need to renew ihÌ£rām for entering Mecca. But, if they return during the next month, e.g. they perform ‘umrah during the month of Dhul-Qi’dah and leave but return to Mecca during Dhul-Hijjah, they are obliged to enter a new ihÌ£rām for a new ‘umrah to enter Mecca and their ‘umrah al-tamattu‘ which is connected with hajj rites will be this second one.
Issue 94. It is based on obligatory caution not to perform ‘umrah al-mufradah between ‘umrah of tamattu‘ and hajj, although performing it will not harm either the validity of one's previous ‘umrah or that of hajj.