Miqat

What Does Miqat Mean in Detail?

The mawaqit (plural of الميقات) are sacred boundary markers that define the threshold between ordinary travel and the sacred الحج. They were designated by النبي Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) as recorded in the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim. There are five principal الميقات stations, each serving الحجاج arriving from different geographical directions: Dhul Hulayfah (also called Abyar Ali), located about 450 km north of مكة near المدينة — it is the farthest الميقات and serves الحجاج coming from المدينة and the north; Al-Juhfah (near modern Rabigh), about 183 km northwest, serving الحجاج from the Levant, Egypt, and North Africa; Qarn al-Manazil (also called al-Sayl al-Kabir), about 75 km east, serving الحجاج from Najd and the central Arabian Peninsula; Yalamlam (also called al-Sa'diyyah), about 100 km south, serving الحجاج from Yemen and the south; and Dhat Irq, about 90 km northeast, serving الحجاج from Iraq and the east. For الحجاج arriving by air, the الميقات is the point where their flight path crosses the الميقات boundary. Airlines announce when the plane approaches the الميقات, and many الحجاج enter الإحرام at the airport before departure to avoid missing it. Residents of مكة enter الإحرام from their homes for الحج, but for العمرة they must go outside the haram boundary — traditionally to Masjid Aisha in Tan'im, the nearest point outside the sacred precinct. The ruling is clear: any person intending الحج or العمرة who passes beyond the الميقات line without being in الإحرام must either return to the الميقات to assume الإحرام or offer a فدية (compensatory sacrifice of a sheep). This applies to all الحجاج regardless of their mode of travel. However, a person passing through the الميقات zone without intending الحج — for business or other purposes — is not required to enter الإحرام, عند جمهور العلماء.