Question:
Can you please tell me what does Ihraam mean?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Ihraam literally means to declare something unlawful upon oneself.
Ihraam is commonly referred to the clothing worn by a person performing Umrah or Hajj.
However, Ihraam in the context of Shari’ah refers to entering into a state of adhering to the prohibitions of even normally permitted things, with the intention of performing Hajj and/or Umrah. The wearing of the white clothing symbolises this state, although this state is not entered into by wearing the sheets of white alone.[1]
One must be in the state of Ihram before crossing the Mīqāt boundaries located around the blessed city of Makkah.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Faraz ibn Adam,
www.darulfiqh.com