The question of Jeddah's position relative to the Miqat boundaries has been debated among scholars. The five designated Miqat points form a rough boundary around مكة, and Jeddah's geographical position makes its status somewhat ambiguous. Some scholars consider Jeddah to be within the Miqat boundary (meaning residents enter الإحرام from their homes), while others consider parts of Jeddah, especially the northern areas, to be outside.
The majority of contemporary scholars, including the Saudi اللجنة الدائمة for Scholarly Research and Ifta, hold that Jeddah residents may enter الإحرام from their homes. This is because Jeddah is between the Miqat and مكة, and النبي (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said regarding the Miqat points: 'These are for them and for those who pass by them from other than their people, intending الحج or العمرة. And whoever lives closer than these Miqat points, their Miqat is from where they are, even the people of مكة from مكة.'
For travelers who are transiting through Jeddah (arriving by air from another country), the correct approach is to enter الإحرام at the appropriate Miqat before landing in Jeddah. If they miss the Miqat on the flight, they should ideally go to one of the Miqat points (such as Al-Juhfah/Rabigh to the north) before heading to مكة. If this is not practical, they enter الإحرام from Jeddah and pay فدية عند جمهور العلماء.