Time of Hajj and`Umra:
As regards the pilgrimage, the times referred to are those defined by God in His words "The pilgrimage is in the well-known months". These months are Shawwal, Dhu'l Qa'ada, Dhu'l Hijja. The`Ulama added that only the first ten days of Dhul-Hijja are included. Thus it is not allowed to enter into the state of consecration (lhram) for the pilgrimage before these months, that is to say, before the month of Shawwal. As for the Lesser Pilgrimage, it is not limited to any definite time of the year. Here is one of the distinctions between the Hajj and `Umra. It is said that the Prophet himself performed it once in shawwal and another time in Dhu'l-Qa'da, though he declared that `Umra in Ramadan (the month of fasting) is equal to the Hajj in gaining God's blessing without meaning, of course, that it would replace it.
2) Stations of Assembly (Mawdqit Makaniya). This refers to the places outside Mecca at which Muslims assemble before entering the Haram. On reaching these assembly points they prepare themselves both physically and spiritually for this sacred duty. These places were defined by religious law, and each is termed a Miqat. The Prophet fixed these places to the South, East and North of Mecca. They are as follows
a) Dhu'l-Hulayfa: It is a place situated North of Mecca at a distance of 450 kilometres. It is the station allotted to the inhabitants of Madina and those to the North of it.
b) al-Juhfa:
It is a village North-West of Mecca which was a station for the people
of the Levant. This village became ruined long
ago, and in its place there is the village of Rabigh, which is the Mikat
of the people of the A.R.E. Turkey, the Balkan countries, Syria, Tunisia,
Algeria, and Morocco, and those coming from the North, or North
West.
c) Yalamlam: It is a mountain South of Mecca appointed by the Prophet as a station for the people of Yemen and those coming from countries lying southwards.
d)Qarn al-Mandzil:
It is a mountain East of Mecca, and considered the station of the
people of Najd, and those coming from the East.
Any person who reaches his destined station has to enter into a state of consecration called Ihram.
People whose abodes lie between these stations and Mecca have to assume Ihrdm at the moment and the places from which they start their sacred journey. As for the Meccans, they assume Ihram from their homes. If the Ihram is meant for the Lesser Pilgrimage, the Meccans have to go beyond the Haram. assume Ihram, and then proceed on their pilgrimage.