From where do the people of Makkah enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah?

Question : The questioner asks: Is the miqat for the people of Makkah for 'Umrah their homes, or is it at al-Tan'im?

Answer : The answer to that is that the miqat for 'Umrah is from al-Tan'im. For this reason, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted 'A'ishah to perform 'Umrah, he ordered her to go out to the halal area, and he said to her brother, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf, "Go with your sister and let her enter the state of ihram from al-Halim, or let her go out to al-Halim." This indicates that a person cannot enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah from within Makkah; he must go out to al-Tan'im or to the edge of the halal area, other than al-Tan'im. If he went out to 'Arafah, for example, and entered the state of ihram, there is no harm, because the intention is to go out of the boundaries of the Haram. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah said that the wisdom behind this is that 'Umrah is a visit, and a visitor must make an arrival to the place he is visiting. It is not possible to arrive at the Haram from within the Haram; rather, it is not possible to arrive at the Haram except from the halal area. For this reason, the miqat for 'Umrah for one who is in Makkah is to go out to the halal area and enter the state of ihram from there, whether from al-Tan'im or from elsewhere.