Likewise, there must be orderly organization, coordinated effort, and responsible supervision by those in authority.
Once you grasp the fruits of these Islamic gatherings, you will clearly understand—O believing Muslim—that you possess a magnificent religion, lofty in worth, whose purpose—after the worship of Allah—is the rectification and harmony of the universe. For gathering together is the greatest means of uniting the ummah and harmonizing its voice.
Accordingly, Islam has devoted exceptional care to assemblies in order to realize these noble aims. It has obligated the residents of every neighborhood to gather in their mosque five times a day; it has enjoined the entire populace of each town to assemble for the Friday Prayer once every week; and it has mandated that all Muslims come together once every year. This is a vast and weighty topic, but we shall suffice here with this brief allusion.
We ask Allah, exalted be He, to raise high His word, make His religion prevail, grant victory to His allies, and humble His enemies. Truly, He is All-Powerful, Almighty.
Chapter: The Miqats (Prescribed Limits)
The term miqat (pl. mawāqīt) applies to both time and place. The temporal miqats are the months of Hajj—Shawwal, Dhu al-Qaʿdah, and the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah—whereas the spatial miqats are those mentioned in the two following hadiths.
These miqats were instituted in reverence and honor of the Sacred House, so that pilgrims and visitors would approach it from these boundaries in a state of veneration, submission, and humility. For that reason, hunting its game and cutting its trees have been forbidden, for such acts belittle its sanctity and detract from its honor. Allah—glorious and exalted—has made it a place of return and security for mankind and has provided its people with fruits, so that they might give thanks.
Hadith 1
Ibn ʿAbbās (d. 68 AH) reported:
“The Messenger of Allah set Dhū al-Ḥulayfa as the miqat for the people of Madinah; al-Juhfa for the people of Greater Syria; Qarn al-Manāzil for the people of Najd; and Yalamlam for the people of Yemen. He said, ‘These are for their residents and for anyone who passes by them—although not of their people—who intends Hajj or ʿumrah. Whoever lives inside them assumes iḥrām from the place he departs, even the people of Makkah—from Makkah itself.’”