Short answer
In the Hanafi school, anyone coming from outside the miqats who is heading for Makkah must be in ihram for Hajj or umrah, even if the trip is for work or family. Crossing the miqat without it means you must go back to a miqat or give a dam, and you owe an umrah. People living inside the miqat area, such as in Jeddah, may enter without ihram.
An afaqi (one from outside the miqats) may not pass the miqat heading for Makkah without ihram, whatever his purpose. If he does, he must return to a miqat and enter ihram; otherwise a dam is due, plus a Hajj or umrah for entering Makkah. Residents within the miqats may enter Makkah for their needs without ihram.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Ihram is required only of someone who intends Hajj or umrah; entering Makkah for work or a visit without ihram is allowed in the relied-upon view.
- Maliki and Hanbali
- Close to the Hanafi view, with an exception for people who come and go often for their work.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ set the miqats and said they are for their people and for others who pass them. The Shafi'is focus on the words "for whoever intends Hajj or umrah". The Hanafis add the companions' practice that no one entered Makkah from outside without ihram, out of respect for the Haram, and so require it of every afaqi heading for Makkah.
- Flying in for umrah: enter ihram before the miqat (see ihram when flying to Jeddah).
- Going to Madinah first: no ihram needed until you leave Madinah for Makkah (see Madinah first).
- Business trip to Jeddah: if your real purpose is Jeddah and you later decide to visit Makkah, Hanafi scholars treat you like a Jeddah resident, so ihram is not required. If Makkah was the plan from the start, it is.
- Living in Jeddah or Taif's lowlands: you may go to Makkah without ihram unless you intend umrah.
- Already in Makkah: after your umrah, you can go to the Sacred Mosque in normal clothes as often as you like.
- Crossed without ihram: go back to any miqat and enter ihram, or give a dam; either way, perform an umrah.
For the dam, see dam in Hajj and umrah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Maaida 5:2
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لَا تُحِلُّوا۟ شَعَٰٓئِرَ ٱللَّهِ وَلَا ٱلشَّهْرَ ٱلْحَرَامَ وَلَا ٱلْهَدْىَ وَلَا ٱلْقَلَٰٓئِدَ وَلَآ ءَآمِّينَ ٱلْبَيْتَ ٱلْحَرَامَ يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ وَرِضْوَٰنًۭا ۚ وَإِذَا حَلَلْتُمْ فَٱصْطَادُوا۟ ۚ وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ أَن صَدُّوكُمْ عَنِ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ أَن تَعْتَدُوا۟ ۘ وَتَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْبِرِّ وَٱلتَّقْوَىٰ ۖ وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا۟ عَلَى ٱلْإِثْمِ وَٱلْعُدْوَٰنِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ﴿٢﴾
O you who have believed, do not violate the rites of Allah or [the sanctity of] the sacred month or [neglect the marking of] the sacrificial animals and garlanding [them] or [violate the safety of] those coming to the Sacred House seeking bounty from their Lord and [His] approval. But when you come out of ihram, then [you may] hunt. And do not let the hatred of a people for having obstructed you from al-Masjid al-Haram lead you to transgress. And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. And fear Allah; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty.
Respect for the rites and the Haram.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1526
Sahih... فهن لهن ولمن أتى عليهن من غير أهلهن لمن كان يريد الحج والعمرة ...
"They are for their people and for those who come to them from elsewhere intending Hajj or umrah, and whoever lives closer enters ihram from where he lives."
The miqats and who they apply to.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, chapter on the miqats. The afaqi may not pass the miqat for Makkah without ihram; the one who does owes a dam unless he returns.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, on the miqats. One whose purpose is a place inside the miqat area takes its people's ruling.
- Minhaj al-Talibin, Kitab al-Hajj, on the miqats. The Shafi'i view that ihram is required only for one intending a rite.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.