Meeqat Places
When an important obligation is being observed, certain things must be very clear to you before you, so that you may not do a mistake. This is very important for pilgrimages like Hajj and Umrah. Having the time and opportunity to do it but no knowledge about this ‘Ibadah’ can make you do mistakes that you should not. The rituals and the exact place and time for accomplishing them must be known to you. One such compulsory piece of information is to know about the places of Meeqat. Meeqat is the place where the pilgrims wear Ihram and this place should be left in the state of wearing Ihram otherwise it will not be considered legitimate or permissible. There are five specified places for wearing Ihram and it should be made sure in any case that you do not choose any other place, other than Meeqat, for doing this.
Al-Juhfah
It is the specified place for Meeqat near which is a town named Rabigh. Pilgrims also do the task of wearing Ihram from this connected place. At Juhfah the people who are coming from some particular countries wear Ihram. These countries are Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Jordon, Lebanon, some North American and North African countries. It is located at a distance of 182-183 Km from Makkah and it is on the northwest side of Makkah.
Dhul-Hulaifah
This place is also known as ‘Abyar Ali’ and this place is almost 9 kilometers away from Madinah. It is located at the north of Makkah with a distance of more than 400 kilometers. This is the point for those coming from the north and going that way. This place is more specifically for the people of Madinah. The mosque in this place is meant for wearing Ihram and it is not obligatory to wear it inside the mosque in any case and you can wear it on the side as well.
Yalamlam
This is another point for wearing Ihram and it is located at the southwest side of Makkah. The distance from Makkah is almost 90 to 100 kilometers. There are countries coming from which pilgrims wear Ihram while crossing this point. These countries include Yemen, China, Japan, and Nigeria, countries of South Africa, Pakistan and India. This can be called as the place for those coming from the south route and that using sea route.
Qarn al-Manazil
It is located near Taif and in the east of Makkah and it is almost 80 to 94 kilometers from Makkah. This place is for those coming from Dubai, Pakistan, Oman, Malaysia, and some other countries. People living in Riyadh choose this Meeqat for wearing Ihram and this place is also for the people of Najd. It all depends on the usual route from which people are coming and these points can be comfortable for those coming from the relevant directions.
Dhat Irq
It is located at a distance of about 90 to 94 kilometers from Makkah and is located in the northeast of the city. It is for the people coming from countries like Iran and Iraq or those choosing this route and it are also for countries like Russia, China, etc.