They say: We performed 'Umrah in the past month of Ramadan, and we entered the state of ihram before the plane arrived at King Abdulaziz Airport by half an hour, perhaps meaning Jeddah Airport or more.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Welcome, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad.
The Shaykh : Welcome to you.
The questioner : The first letter in our hands, which reached us from your sincere brother Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from al-Muharraq in Bahrain, says: I hope these questions will be presented to the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him), and they are as follows: We performed 'Umrah in the past month of Ramadan, and we entered the state of ihram before the plane arrived at King Abdulaziz Airport by half an hour, perhaps meaning Jeddah Airport.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Or more. What is the ruling on this ihram? What is the miqat for the people of the Arabian Gulf? And how does a traveler by air enter the state of ihram?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. After that, the answer to this question is preceded by an introduction, which is that a person should, if he intends to perform an act of worship, first understand its rulings.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Before he engages in it, so that he does not fall into what is prohibited in it or neglect what is obligatory, for this is what Allah commanded:[Muhammad 47:19] So he began with knowledge before action: know and seek forgiveness. And this is the theoretical, rational reality: that a person knows the way to a town before he travels on it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is not limited to Hajj and 'Umrah, of which many people are ignorant of the rulings, but it encompasses all acts of worship. A person should not enter into them until he knows what is obligatory in them and what is prohibited. As for what the asking brother mentioned, entering the state of ihram before arriving at King Abdulaziz Airport, which is the new Jeddah Airport, by half an hour, appears to be a valid ihram, because we do not think the miqats extend more than half an hour by plane from Jeddah Airport. Accordingly, his ihram for 'Umrah half an hour before arriving at the airport is a valid ihram with nothing wrong with it, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the miqat of the people of the Gulf, the miqat of the people of the Gulf is the same as the miqat of others. These are the five miqats that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) designated for those who come to Makkah intending Hajj or 'Umrah. They are: Dhul-Hulayfah, called Abwa' 'Ali, for the people of al-Madinah and for anyone else who passes through it; al-Juhfah, which is for the people of Sham and for anyone else who passes through it. Al-Juhfah has been ruined, and people now enter the state of ihram from Rabigh instead of it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Qarn al-Manazil is for the people of Najd and for anyone else who passes through it; Yalamlam is for the people of Yemen and for anyone else who passes through it, and it is called al-An as-Sa'diyyah. Qarn al-Manazil is called as-Sayl. Dhat 'Irq is for the people of Iraq, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) designated it. In the Sunan, it is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he designated it, and it is called ad-Daribah. These miqats are for anyone who passes through them intending Hajj or 'Umrah from any part of the world. If a person passes by a route that does not pass through these miqats, he enters the state of ihram when he is level with these miqats. This is because 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was approached by the people of Iraq, and they said: "O Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) designated Qarn for the people of Najd, and it is off our path" meaning it is deviated from our path.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, said: "Look for the point on your path that is level with it" His statement (may Allah be pleased with him), "Look for the point on your path that is level with it", indicates that whoever is level with these miqats by land, air, or sea must enter the state of ihram. When he is level with the nearest miqat to him, it is obligatory for him to enter the state of ihram.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It appears to me that the air routes of the Gulf pass by the vicinity of Qarn al-Manazil, which is the nearest miqat to them. If my assumption is not correct, let the pilot of the plane be asked where its route is. If he knows that he is level with the nearest miqat to him, it is obligatory for him to enter the state of ihram from there. It is not permissible for the people of the Gulf or anyone else to delay entering the state of ihram until they land in Jeddah. Even if some people say so, it is a weak opinion that cannot be relied upon. What we mentioned from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs whom we are commanded to follow, indicates the invalidity of this opinion. Otherwise, what about someone who reaches Jeddah before being level with a miqat, such as the people of Suakin in Sudan?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The scholars say that they reach Jeddah before being level with Rabigh or Yalamlam, because Jeddah is at an angle relative to these two miqats. Accordingly, the people of Suakin and those who come from that direction enter the state of ihram from Jeddah, because it is two days' journey from Makkah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The Shaykh : Welcome to you.
The questioner : The first letter in our hands, which reached us from your sincere brother Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Saif from al-Muharraq in Bahrain, says: I hope these questions will be presented to the honorable Shaykh Muhammad ibn Salih al-Uthaymeen (may Allah preserve him), and they are as follows: We performed 'Umrah in the past month of Ramadan, and we entered the state of ihram before the plane arrived at King Abdulaziz Airport by half an hour, perhaps meaning Jeddah Airport.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Or more. What is the ruling on this ihram? What is the miqat for the people of the Arabian Gulf? And how does a traveler by air enter the state of ihram?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds. After that, the answer to this question is preceded by an introduction, which is that a person should, if he intends to perform an act of worship, first understand its rulings.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Before he engages in it, so that he does not fall into what is prohibited in it or neglect what is obligatory, for this is what Allah commanded:
So know, [O Muhammad], that there is no deity except Allah and ask forgiveness for your sin
فاعلم أنه لا إله إلا الله واستغفر لذنبكThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is not limited to Hajj and 'Umrah, of which many people are ignorant of the rulings, but it encompasses all acts of worship. A person should not enter into them until he knows what is obligatory in them and what is prohibited. As for what the asking brother mentioned, entering the state of ihram before arriving at King Abdulaziz Airport, which is the new Jeddah Airport, by half an hour, appears to be a valid ihram, because we do not think the miqats extend more than half an hour by plane from Jeddah Airport. Accordingly, his ihram for 'Umrah half an hour before arriving at the airport is a valid ihram with nothing wrong with it, if Allah wills.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : As for the miqat of the people of the Gulf, the miqat of the people of the Gulf is the same as the miqat of others. These are the five miqats that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) designated for those who come to Makkah intending Hajj or 'Umrah. They are: Dhul-Hulayfah, called Abwa' 'Ali, for the people of al-Madinah and for anyone else who passes through it; al-Juhfah, which is for the people of Sham and for anyone else who passes through it. Al-Juhfah has been ruined, and people now enter the state of ihram from Rabigh instead of it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Qarn al-Manazil is for the people of Najd and for anyone else who passes through it; Yalamlam is for the people of Yemen and for anyone else who passes through it, and it is called al-An as-Sa'diyyah. Qarn al-Manazil is called as-Sayl. Dhat 'Irq is for the people of Iraq, and 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) designated it. In the Sunan, it is reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he designated it, and it is called ad-Daribah. These miqats are for anyone who passes through them intending Hajj or 'Umrah from any part of the world. If a person passes by a route that does not pass through these miqats, he enters the state of ihram when he is level with these miqats. This is because 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was approached by the people of Iraq, and they said: "O Commander of the Faithful, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) designated Qarn for the people of Najd, and it is off our path" meaning it is deviated from our path.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the Commander of the Faithful, 'Umar, said: "Look for the point on your path that is level with it" His statement (may Allah be pleased with him), "Look for the point on your path that is level with it", indicates that whoever is level with these miqats by land, air, or sea must enter the state of ihram. When he is level with the nearest miqat to him, it is obligatory for him to enter the state of ihram.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : It appears to me that the air routes of the Gulf pass by the vicinity of Qarn al-Manazil, which is the nearest miqat to them. If my assumption is not correct, let the pilot of the plane be asked where its route is. If he knows that he is level with the nearest miqat to him, it is obligatory for him to enter the state of ihram from there. It is not permissible for the people of the Gulf or anyone else to delay entering the state of ihram until they land in Jeddah. Even if some people say so, it is a weak opinion that cannot be relied upon. What we mentioned from 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him), who is one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs whom we are commanded to follow, indicates the invalidity of this opinion. Otherwise, what about someone who reaches Jeddah before being level with a miqat, such as the people of Suakin in Sudan?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The scholars say that they reach Jeddah before being level with Rabigh or Yalamlam, because Jeddah is at an angle relative to these two miqats. Accordingly, the people of Suakin and those who come from that direction enter the state of ihram from Jeddah, because it is two days' journey from Makkah.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.