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Key points
- A miqat is the boundary where a pilgrim going for Umrah or Hajj must be in ihram. The Prophet ﷺ set them himself (Bukhari 1524).
- Flights from India to Jeddah pass the miqat in the air, before landing. The crew usually announces it.
- Jeddah is not the miqat for pilgrims flying in from India, so the ihram must be on before the plane crosses the line.
- If you fly to Madinah first, you do not need ihram on that flight. You put it on at Dhul Hulayfah when you leave Madinah for Makkah.
What a miqat is
Miqat means a fixed place or time. For Umrah and Hajj, it is the boundary around Makkah where a pilgrim must enter ihram: wear the ihram clothes (for men), make the niyyah and begin the talbiyah. Crossing it on the way to Umrah without ihram is not allowed.
The Prophet ﷺ fixed these places for every direction people come from, and said they are for the people of those lands and for anyone else who passes them intending Hajj or Umrah (Bukhari 1524).
The five miqats
- Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar Ali): about 10 km from Masjid an-Nabawi, for people coming from Madinah
- Al-Juhfah (pilgrims use Rabigh today): for people coming from Syria, Egypt and the north-west
- Qarn al-Manazil (as-Sayl al-Kabir): for people coming from Najd and the east
- Yalamlam (as-Sa’diyyah): for people coming from Yemen and the south
- Dhat Irq: for people coming from Iraq, fixed by Umar (RA) in line with Qarn (Bukhari 1531)
Anyone who lives inside these boundaries, such as the people of Jeddah, puts on ihram from where they live. People already in Makkah go out to at-Tan’eem or another place outside the Haram for Umrah.
On a flight from India to Jeddah
Flights from Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and other Indian cities reach Jeddah from the east and south-east. Depending on the route, the plane passes the line of Yalamlam or Qarn al-Manazil in the air, about 20 to 40 minutes before landing. Most airlines that fly pilgrims announce the miqat on board.
Because the boundary is crossed in the air, Jeddah airport is too late. If you land in Jeddah for Umrah without ihram, you have already crossed the miqat.
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Step 1
At home or the airport
Men take a bath, trim nails and change into the two ihram sheets before leaving home, or in the airport washroom. Women wear normal modest clothes.
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Step 2
Two rak’ahs if you can
Pray two rak’ahs of nafl at home or in the airport prayer room after changing, if it is not a disliked time.
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Step 3
Near the miqat on the plane
When the crew announces the miqat, or about an hour before landing if there is no announcement, make the niyyah for Umrah in your heart and begin the talbiyah.
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Step 4
Now the rules apply
From the niyyah onwards, the rules of ihram apply: no perfume, no cutting hair or nails, men keep their heads uncovered.
If you fly to Madinah first
Many of our groups land in Madinah and spend a few days there before Umrah. On that flight you are going to Madinah, not to Makkah, so you do not wear ihram.
When the group leaves Madinah for Makkah, the coach stops at Masjid Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar Ali), the miqat of the people of Madinah. Pilgrims change, pray two rak’ahs, make the niyyah there and travel on to Makkah in ihram.
If you crossed the miqat without ihram
If you realise it after landing in Jeddah, the safest way is to go back to a miqat, put on ihram there, and then go to Makkah. If you go on without returning, many scholars say a sacrifice (dam) of one sheep in the Haram is due, while the Umrah itself is still valid.
Rulings differ in the details, so speak to a scholar or your group guide as soon as you notice. Do not panic: it can be put right.
Questions
Flights from India pass the line of Yalamlam or Qarn al-Manazil in the air before Jeddah, depending on the route. The crew usually announces it, and pilgrims make the niyyah of ihram then.
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Official guidance
This guide is general travel information. For religious rulings, please ask a qualified scholar.
