What is Meeqaat?
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Umrah can be performed in any month of the Islamic year but unlike Umrah, Hajj can only be performed during the month of Dhul Hajjah. Umrah is known as a mini pilgrimage while Hajj is known as the major pilgrimage to the house of Allah the Exalted. Like there are different types of Hajj , there are different types of Meeqaat as well. History of Meeqaat In olden days Indians used to prefer the sea route to go for Hajj. It took about a week to reach Jeddah port. When the ship neared Yalamlam, which is about 60 km from Makkah, and is the Meeqaat for those traveling from India an announcement was made so that the people could enter the Ihraam conveniently. After passing through Yalamlam, ship used to take around 6 to 7 hours to enter Jeddah. Nowadays Indians are allowed to go by air only. Like in ship, in plane too the announcement is made when it approaches Yalamlam. So what exactly is Meeqaat? Meeqaat are points or stations from where whoever crosses on his way to the Holy Mak