Question: So iḥrām is to be assumed from the ḥill that is near Makkah, and it is not a condition that one return to the miqāt—the miqāt of the country from which he set out?

Answer: For anyone who is already inside Makkah, the miqāt for ʿumrah is the ḥill.

Question: If the person is not a resident of Makkah, from where does he enter iḥrām?

Answer: If he is within the boundary markers and wishes to perform ʿumrah, he must go outside those markers. In other words, whoever is inside the Ḥaram and wants to perform ʿumrah must go out to the ḥill and there enter iḥrām—whether he happens to be in Makkah itself or elsewhere within the Ḥaram. As for someone who is already beyond the ḥill, he assumes iḥrām from the place where he is.

Providing housing takes priority over ḥajj

Question: My wife and I are presently living in Yemen, and we still do not own a house in our home country. I do have a sum of money, but we have not yet performed the obligatory ḥajj. Is ḥajj immediately incumbent upon us now that we are financially able, even though we do not own a house? Or should we first buy a home to live in and then, if we can still afford it, perform ḥajj, otherwise postponing it until we are able?

Answer: It is well known that Allah has obligated ḥajj only upon the one who is able. The Exalted says, “Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by those who are able to undertake the journey” (Āl ʿImrān 3:97). Ability means possessing food and transport, and that these provisions and that conveyance are surplus to what one needs for lodging and living expenses—for oneself, one’s children, and all those whose maintenance one is responsible for—until one returns. Therefore, if the money you have in hand does not cover your essential needs, among them