الإحرام

الإحرام is both a physical state and a spiritual condition. The word derives from the Arabic root h-r-m, meaning 'to make sacred' or 'to prohibit.' When a الحاج enters الإحرام, they consecrate themselves for worship, voluntarily accepting a set of restrictions that strip away worldly distractions and focus the mind entirely on Allah. The simplicity of الإحرام clothing — two plain white sheets for men, modest regular clothing for women — erases distinctions of wealth, status, and culture. A king and a laborer become indistinguishable. This radical equality is not merely symbolic; it is a lived experience of القرآنic principle that the only distinction Allah recognizes is taqwa (God-consciousness).

The Miqat refers to the designated boundary points at which الحجاج must enter the state of الإحرام before proceeding to مكة. Five Miqat points were أُسس by النبي Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم): Dhul Hulayfah (for those coming from المدينة), al-Juhfah (from the direction of Syria/Egypt), Qarn al-Manazil (from Najd/eastern Arabia), Yalamlam (from Yemen), and Dhat Irq (from Iraq). Pilgrims flying into Jeddah typically enter الإحرام on the aircraft as it approaches the nearest Miqat. Before reaching the Miqat, it is سنة to perform الغسل (full ablution), apply perfume to the body (not the الإحرام garments), and put on the الإحرام clothing. At the Miqat, the الحاج makes the niyyah for either الحج or العمرة and begins reciting the التلبية.

Upon entering الإحرام, specific actions become prohibited (haram): cutting or removing hair from any part of the body, clipping nails, using perfume or scented products, wearing sewn or fitted clothing (for men — women wear their normal modest clothing), covering the head (men) or covering the face (women, عند most scholars), hunting land animals, contracting marriage, and engaging in marital relations. These prohibitions serve a spiritual purpose: by restricting normal grooming, adornment, and physical pleasures, the الحاج enters a state of focused devotion where worldly comforts become secondary to worship. Violations of الإحرام restrictions require specific compensations (فدية), which vary by the type and severity of the violation.

If a الحاج violates an الإحرام prohibition — either intentionally, forgetfully, or out of necessity — a فدية (compensation) is required. For most violations (cutting hair, using perfume, wearing prohibited clothing), the فدية is one of three options: fasting three days, feeding six poor people, or sacrificing a sheep. If a الحاج hunts a land animal, the compensation is the equivalent value of the animal killed. Marital relations during الإحرام before the standing at Arafah invalidate the الحج entirely, requiring the الحج to be repeated the following year — though the current الحج must still be completed. The scholars emphasize that accidental or forgetful violations are treated more leniently, and that the compensatory system demonstrates Islam's balance between upholding sacred rules and providing mercy for human weakness.