Miqat

What Does Miqat Mean in Detail?

The mawaqit (plural of miqat) are sacred boundary markers that define the threshold between ordinary travel and the sacred হজ্জ. They were designated by নবী করীম Muhammad (সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়া সাল্লাম) as recorded in the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim. There are five principal miqat stations, each serving হাজীগণ arriving from different geographical directions: Dhul Hulayfah (also called Abyar Ali), located about 450 km north of মক্কা মুকাররমা near মদীনা মুনাওয়ারা — it is the farthest miqat and serves হাজীগণ coming from মদীনা মুনাওয়ারা and the north; Al-Juhfah (near modern Rabigh), about 183 km northwest, serving হাজীগণ from the Levant, Egypt, and North Africa; Qarn al-Manazil (also called al-Sayl al-Kabir), about 75 km east, serving হাজীগণ from Najd and the central Arabian Peninsula; Yalamlam (also called al-Sa'diyyah), about 100 km south, serving হাজীগণ from Yemen and the south; and Dhat Irq, about 90 km northeast, serving হাজীগণ from Iraq and the east. For হাজীগণ arriving by air, the miqat is the point where their flight path crosses the miqat boundary. Airlines announce when the plane approaches the miqat, and many হাজীগণ enter ইহরাম at the airport before departure to avoid missing it. Residents of মক্কা মুকাররমা enter ইহরাম from their homes for হজ্জ, but for উমরাহ 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 হজ্জ or উমরাহ who passes beyond the miqat line without being in ইহরাম must either return to the miqat to assume ইহরাম or offer a fidyah (compensatory sacrifice of a sheep). This applies to all হাজীগণ regardless of their mode of travel. However, a person passing through the miqat zone without intending হজ্জ — for business or other purposes — is not required to enter ইহরাম, জমহুর উলামাদের মতে.