Many people come to perform 'Umrah or Hajj by plane, and when the announcement is made that they are passing by the miqat, they remember that their ihram is in the luggage. Should they wear a waist cloth?

The questioner : This questioner says, O honorable Shaykh, many people come to perform 'Umrah or Hajj by plane, and when the announcement is made that they are passing by the miqat, they remember that their ihram is in the luggage. Should they wear a waist cloth in this situation, or something like it, and how is that done? Or should they enter ihram from Jeddah?

The Shaykh : First, a person should be decisive and prepare his ihram, keeping it in his hand, because being indecisive indicates that he is not a man of substance. Rather, he should be decisive and prepared for matters before they occur. However, the situation mentioned by the questioner may happen due to forgetfulness, and humans are subject to forgetfulness. If such a thing happens and he approaches the miqat, he should take off his shirt and wear his ghutrah as a waist cloth, making it an izar. Then he should take off his trousers. If he does not have a ghutrah, or if someone does not have a ghutrah with them, he should take off his shirt and remain in ihram with his trousers, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And his ihram will be complete. There is no hardship or difficulty in this matter. If he has a ghutrah, he wears it as a waist cloth, then takes off his shirt and trousers. If he does not have a ghutrah, he takes off his shirt and remains with his trousers.
The ghutrah and the shemagh are all the same; if they do not cover the body, the trousers serve as a substitute for them.
The student: What if he wears the garment itself as an izar?

The Shaykh : Well, in any case, if he is wearing trousers, that suffices for the garment, as the Lawgiver has granted a dispensation for this. If he finds that the trousers are short, he can make the shirt an izar by wrapping it around himself. As for entering ihram from Jeddah, it is not permissible. It is not permissible for a person to delay entering ihram until Jeddah, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he designated the miqats: It is strange that Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke about this issue, about a person delaying [entering ihram] when passing by the miqat in the air until after the miqat. Were there planes in his time? He died in the year 728 AH. In his time, there were jinn, or sorcerers or deceptions, who would deceive people by saying, "We can now perform Hajj and stand at 'Arafah on the Day of 'Arafah."