Miqat and ihram when you fly from Bangladesh

Every pilgrim travelling to Makkah for Umrah must enter ihram before crossing a boundary called the miqat. On the ground, the miqat is a place with a mosque where pilgrims stop, wash and change. In the air there is no stop: the plane simply flies across the line. For pilgrims from Bangladesh this is the first rite of the journey, and it happens in an aircraft seat. This guide explains how to be ready. It describes common practice; for religious rulings, follow your own scholar.

What the miqat is

The Prophet, peace be upon him, named places around Makkah as miqat for people arriving from different directions: Dhul Hulayfah near Madinah, Al-Juhfah near Rabigh, Qarn al-Manazil towards Taif, Yalamlam to the south and Dhat Irq to the north-east. Anyone who intends Umrah or Hajj must be in ihram before passing them. A flight is treated as passing the miqat when it comes level with it.

Flying from Dhaka, Chattogram or Sylhet to Jeddah

Jeddah lies inside the miqat boundary, so you cannot wait until you land. Flights from Bangladesh approach from the east and cross the line roughly 20 minutes before landing, level with the miqats of Dhat Irq and Qarn al-Manazil. Our miqat finder estimates the point for your departure airport.

In practice, pilgrims do this:

• Before leaving home or at the airport: bathe, and put on the ihram garments. Men wear the two white unstitched cloths; women wear their ordinary modest clothing. Changing in an aircraft toilet is difficult, so most people change before boarding.
• On board: wearing the cloths is not yet ihram. Ihram begins with the intention.
• When the crew announces the miqat: make the intention (niyyah) for Umrah and begin the talbiyah. Airlines flying to Jeddah usually announce it ahead of time and again at the miqat.
• If you are unsure of the moment: make the intention a little early. Entering ihram before the miqat is valid; crossing it without ihram is not.

If your first stop is Madinah

Many packages from Bangladesh fly to Madinah first. In that case you do not enter ihram on the flight, because you are travelling to Madinah, not yet to Makkah. You enter ihram some days later at Dhul Hulayfah — also called Abyar Ali — a large mosque on the road out of Madinah. Coaches and private cars stop there; if you take the Haramain train, go to the miqat before the station.

What ihram asks of you

Once the intention is made, some things are not permitted until Umrah is complete. Among them: perfume, cutting hair or nails and, for men, stitched clothing and covering the head. Women do not wear a face veil or gloves. Marital relations are forbidden. Speak gently; quarrelling goes against the spirit of ihram. A small unscented soap, a belt for money and a spare ihram cloth are useful things to carry.

If you cross without ihram

It happens: someone falls asleep, or misses the announcement. The common ruling is that the pilgrim goes back to a miqat and enters ihram there or, if that is not possible, offers a sacrifice in Makkah. Tell your group leader as soon as you land, and ask the group's scholar what to do.

For the rites that follow — tawaf, sa'i and cutting the hair — read Umrah for first-time visitors. On our Umrah packages, a guide reminds the group before the miqat.

Common questions

Where is the miqat for pilgrims from Bangladesh?

On a flight to Jeddah, it is the line east of Makkah, level with Dhat Irq and Qarn al-Manazil, which the aircraft crosses about 20 minutes before landing. Pilgrims who go to Madinah first use Dhul Hulayfah when they later travel to Makkah.

Can I put on ihram at Jeddah airport?

No. Jeddah is inside the miqat, so a pilgrim who intends Umrah must already be in ihram before the plane crosses the boundary.

Should I wear ihram from Dhaka?

Most pilgrims put on the ihram garments at home or at the departure airport, and make the intention later, on board, when the miqat is announced. If you have a connecting flight, you can change at the transit airport instead.