Question:
Salam, I’m travelling from Pakistan (Karachi) to UK London, and I have a stopover in Jeddah is umrah wajib on me.
The Fatwa
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
The Answer
The Fiqh of the Answer
Imam Al-Kāsānī (d. 587 AH) states that a foreigner may enter or pass through the Mīqāt (prescribed boundaries) without donning Īḥrām (ritual sanctity) if their destination is not Makkah, but rather another location within the Mīqāt[i]. In such a case, performing ʿUmrah would not be obligatory. Imam Al-Marghīnānī (d. 593 AH) further clarifies that this exemption applies as long as the person does not intend to enter Makkah[ii].
As such, the Mawāqīt exist to ‘venerate the blessed land’ and to ‘distinguish it from all other lands of respect and virtue’ as Al-Kāsanī explains. Imam ʿAttābī describes that Allah has honoured this Kaʿbah, and part of honouring it is to sanctify it and its extended surroundings, which manifests in the form of Iḥrām (during Ḥajj or ʿUmrah)[iii].
The flight trajectory leaving from Pakistan headed for Jeddah will cut through the northern Mīqāt, but since the intention is not for Makkah, ʿUmrah will not be compulsory.
Passing through the Mīqāt alone is not a sacred activity that requires any additional worship or obligation. The sacredness to the Mīqāt comes because of heading towards Makkah. The Mīqāt restrictions are there to prepare a person in their appearance and presence in the sacred court of Almighty Allah in the Ḥaram. Hence, when a person is not heading towards Makkah, the passing across or through the Mīqāt is inconsequential.
And Almighty Allah Alone Knows Best
Maulana Asif Rahman
Trainee Mufti
Reviewed and approved by
Mufti Faraz Adam
Darul Iftaa Muadh ibn Jabal
www.darulfiqh.com
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[i] هذا إذا جاوز أحد هذه المواقيت الخمسة يريد الحج، أو العمرة، أو مكة، أو الحرم بغير دخول إحرام، فأما إذا لم يرد ذلك؛ يريد أن يأتي بستان بني عامر أو غيره لحاجة – فلا شيء عليه؛ لأن لزوم الحج أو العمرة بالمجاوزة من غير إحرام لحرمة الميقات – تعظيماً للبقعة)، وتمييزاً لها من بين سائرين البقاع في الشرفة والفضيلة؛ فيصير ملتزماً لإحرام منه، ليبقى لم يصر ملتزماً للإحرام؛ فلا يلزمه شيء (بدائع الصنائع للكاساني)
[ii] ثم الآفاقي إذا انتهى إليها على قَصْدِ دخول مكة: عليه أن يُحْرِمَ، قَصَدَ الحج أو العمرة، أو لم يقصد عندنا (الهداية للمرغناني)
[iii] لأن الله تعالى عظم هذا البيت فأضافه إلى نفسه، فكان تعظيمه لازما على من دخل في فنائه وتعظيمه بالطواف حوله للحج، وذلك لا يصح بدون الإحرام فصار الإحرام لازما عليه (شرح جامع الصغير للعتابي)