As for the prayer that precedes entering ihram, the soundest opinion is that no distinct prayer has been prescribed for ihram itself. If the time of an obligatory prayer coincides, however, one should assume ihram immediately after performing that prayer, for the Prophet ﷺ raised his voice with the talbiyah right after the prayer, and Anas reported that he performed the Dhuhr prayer and then mounted his riding beast.

The eminent scholar Ibn al-Qayyim said: “Nothing has been transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ to show that he prayed two rakʿahs specifically for ihram apart from the obligatory Dhuhr prayer.”

A necessary clarification must be made: many pilgrims imagine that ihram must be assumed inside the mosque built at the miqat. Consequently, men and women hurry there, crowding the place, and some even remove their clothes and put on the ihram garments inside it. This practice has no foundation. What the Law requires is simply that the Muslim begin his ihram from the miqat—anywhere within its limits, not at a particular spot. He should do so wherever is easiest for him and those with him, affords greater modesty, and keeps him away from the crowds. These mosques at the mawaqit did not exist in the time of the Prophet ﷺ, nor were they constructed for entering ihram; they were built merely so that the local inhabitants could perform the prescribed prayers there. This is the point we wished to highlight, and Allah grants success.

After that, the pilgrim may choose whichever of the three rites he prefers: tamattuʿ, qirān, or ifrād.