One who does not find a place in Mina may stay wherever he wishes.

The Shaykh : Now, another issue: If a person does not find a place in Mina, where should he stay? Some scholars say: He should stay wherever he wishes, in Makkah, near the pilgrims, in any place. They reasoned that the place where the obligation lies has become difficult to access, so it is like if a person’s arm were cut off above the elbow, in which case the obligation to wash it is dropped. Since staying overnight has become difficult for him due to the unavailability of a place, he may stay overnight in any place. In my view, the most cautious and safest course for the conscience is to pitch his tent at the end of the pilgrims’ tents, so that the appearance of the people is unified, the location is connected, and the people feel that they are together with one another. By analogy with the mosque: if the mosque becomes full, do we tell a person to pray anywhere, or to pray where the rows are connected? The latter, not the former. Therefore, we say that the most cautious and safest course for the conscience is to place your tent at the end of the pilgrims’ tents, whether on the side of Makkah or the side of Muzdalifah, or on the north or the south. That is fine.