Miqat

The miqat (مِيْقَات) is a principal boundary at which Muslim pilgrims intending to perform the Ḥajj or ʿUmrah must enter the state of iḥrām (lit. 'prohibition'), a state of consecration in which certain permitted activities are made prohibited. There are five mawāqīt (مَوَاقِيْت). Four of these were defined by the Islamic prophet Muhammad. One was defined by the second Rashidun caliph, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, to fulfill the needs of pilgrims from the newly annexed regions in Mesopotamia. The mawāqīt are as follows: If a pilgrim intends to perform an additional 'Umrah, then ihram must be assumed outside the boundary of the Haram area before re-entering Mecca to carry out the rites of 'Umrah. Many pilgrims choose to enter into the state of ihram at Masjid 'Aisha, which is the nearest and most convenient location from Al-Masjid Al-Haram. The condition to perform 'Umrah from this miqat is that one should be a resident of Mecca, and/or have entered into Mecca for more than 15 days. Transportation to get to this location is readily available near the mosque. Additional 'Umrah, if a person so intends, can also be done by assuming Ihram at any of the five main miqats. Mīqāt Yalamlam (مِيْقَات يَلَمْلَم) is the assigned Miqat for all pilgrims coming from all regions located to the south of Mecca, particularly Yemen. Miqat Yalamlam is nowadays a small souq with a mosque in the Province of Mecca. It is situated around southwest of Mecca, and north of Al Lith. Miqat Yalamlam is historically is the sole of Wadi Yalamlam. The current location is assigned by the Saudi government to be near the Red Sea coastal road (National Road No. 5), at a location called Saʿyā (سَعْيَا). Islamic scholarly opinion on how to enter ihram while flying in for the Hajj or Umrah slightly differs between ulama. Most interpret the hadith in Sahih Bukhari, Book 25, Hadith 14, which was narrated by 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas, as meaning it is necessary to wear and assume ihram when leaving one's home. Others see wearing one's ihram before one's plane enters the miqat zone to be permissible too.