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 hac ibadeti. They were designated by Hz. Peygamber Muhammad (sallallahu aleyhi ve sellem) as recorded in the hadith collections of Bukhari and Muslim. There are five principal miqat stations, each serving hacilar arriving from different geographical directions: Dhul Hulayfah (also called Abyar Ali), located about 450 km north of Mekke near Medine — it is the farthest miqat and serves hacilar coming from Medine and the north; Al-Juhfah (near modern Rabigh), about 183 km northwest, serving hacilar from the Levant, Egypt, and North Africa; Qarn al-Manazil (also called al-Sayl al-Kabir), about 75 km east, serving hacilar from Najd and the central Arabian Peninsula; Yalamlam (also called al-Sa'diyyah), about 100 km south, serving hacilar from Yemen and the south; and Dhat Irq, about 90 km northeast, serving hacilar from Iraq and the east. For hacilar 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 hacilar enter ihram at the airport before departure to avoid missing it. Residents of Mekke enter ihram from their homes for Hac, but for Umre 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 Hac or Umre who passes beyond the miqat line without being in ihram must either return to the miqat to assume ihram or offer a fidyah (compensatory sacrifice of a sheep). This applies to all hacilar regardless of their mode of travel. However, a person passing through the miqat zone without intending hac ibadeti — for business or other purposes — is not required to enter ihram, alimlerin cogunluguna gore.