Manasik al-Hajj wal-Umra - Nasir al-Din al-Albani - (13)

Manasik al-Hajj wal-UmraNasir al-Din al-Albani

—he is unable to find a pair of sandals, in which case he may wear the leather socks.¹ He also said:
“A woman in iḥrām must not fasten a face-veil (niqāb) nor wear gloves.”²

Nevertheless, it is permissible for a woman to cover her face with something like a khimār (head-scarf) or jilbāb (outer cloak) that she lets fall from her head over her face—even if it touches the skin according to the soundest view—provided she does not fasten it to her face, as Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, explained.

A pilgrim may put on the iḥrām garments before reaching the miqāt, even while still at home, just as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions did. This ruling makes things easier for those travelling by airplane who cannot change at the actual miqāt: they may board the plane already dressed in the iḥrām clothing, but they should not formally enter the state of iḥrām until shortly before the miqāt so that they do not pass it while still non-muḥrim.
Before intending iḥrām at the miqāt, he may apply oil or perfume to his body—any fragrance that has a scent but no color. Women, however, may use only a substance that has color but no scent. All of this is allowed only before the intention of iḥrām; once the intention is made, it becomes prohibited.

Iḥrām and its Intention

When he reaches his appointed miqāt, he must enter the state of iḥrām. This is not achieved merely by the resolve in his heart to perform Hajj, for that intention has been present since he left his homeland. Instead, a verbal declaration or a specific act must occur by which he actually becomes muḥrim. Thus, when he pronounces the talbiyah intending iḥrām, his iḥrām is established by consensus.
He should not utter any formula before the talbiyah, such as the common saying:

(1) Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya states in his manual on the rites of pilgrimage: “One is not obliged to cut them below the ankles, for the Prophet ﷺ initially ordered the cutting, then later—at Arafat—granted a dispensation: whoever cannot find an izar (waist-wrapper) may wear sirwal (trousers), and whoever cannot find sandals may wear khuffayn (leather socks). This is the sounder of the two scholarly opinions.” (2) Agreed upon; see the authenticated edition of Sunan Abu Dawud, no. 1600.

لا يجد نعلين [فيلبس الخفين] ١. وقال: "لا تنتقب المرأة المحرمة ولا تلبس القفازين" ٢. ويجوز للمرأة أن تستر وجهها بشيء كالخمار أو الجلباب تلقيه على رأسها وتسدله على وجهها وإن كان يمس الوجه على الصحيح ولكنها لا تشده عليها كما قال ابن تيمية رحمه الله تعالى. ٤- وله أن يلبس الإحرام قبل الميقات ولوفي بيته كما فعله رسول الله ﷺ وأصحابه. وفي هذا تيسير على الذين يحجون بالطائرة ولا يمكنهم لبس الإحرام عند الميقات فيجوز لهم أن يصعدوا الطائرة في لباس الإحرام ولكنهم لا يحرمون إلا قبل الميقات بيسير حتى لا يفوتهم الميقات وهم غير محرمين. ٥- وأن يدهن ويتطيب في بدنه بأي طيب شاء له رائحة ولا لون له إلا النساء. فطيبهن ما له لون ولا رائحة له وهذا كله قبل أن ينوي الإحرام عند الميقات وأما بعده فحرام. الإحرام ونيته: ٦- فإذا جاء ميقاته وجب عليه أن يحرم ولا يكون ذلك بمجرد ما في قلبه من قصد الحج ونيته فإن القصد ما زال في القلب منذ خرج من بلده بل لا بد من قول أو عمل يصير به محرما فإذا لبى قاصدا للإحرام انعقد إحرامه اتفاقا. ٧- ولا يقول بلسانه شيئا بين يدي التلبية مثل قولهم:

١ قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية في منسكه: "وليس عليه أن يقطعهما دون الكعبين فإن النبي ﷺ أمر بالقطع أولا ثم رخص بعد ذلك في عرفات في لبس السراويل لمن لم يجد إزارا ورخص في لبس الخفين لمن لم يجد نعلين هذا أصح قولي العلماء". ٢ متفق عليه صحيح أبي داود "١٦٠٠".