Q. Could you please clarify whether a pilgrim who resides in Jeddah can start his ihraam after arriving in Makkah, or he must go to the point of meeqat? If the latter, which is the relevant point of meeqat for him?
R. Saleem, Jeddah
A. Jeddah is within the Hil area, which is demarcated by an imaginary line connecting all points of meeqat for pilgrims coming from different directions. Such pilgrims start their ihraam, entering into the state of consecration, at the point of meeqat on their way, as defined by the Prophet. People living or residing within this area do not have to go to any point of meeqat: They start their ihraam each at his or her own place. This means that residents in Jeddah begin their ihraam in their homes in Jeddah, and those in Bahrah begin it in Bahrah. The same applies to the people of Makkah who wish to do the pilgrimage. If a resident of Jeddah does not start his ihraam until he has arrived in Makkah, he does wrong and he is required to slaughter a sheep by way of compensation. All the meat should go to the poor in the Haram area.
Division of Inheritance
Q. My friend, who has two brothers and three sisters, lost his father recently. However, my friend’s grandfather is alive. How is the inheritance to be divided?
G. Khan, Dammam
A. You have not told me whether the deceased man’s wife has survived him also or not. If she is alive, she inherits one-eighth of his property. His father, i.e. your friend’s grandfather, inherits one-sixth, and the remainder is divided into 9 shares, with one share to each of the man’s three daughters and two shares each to his three sons. This is based on the instructions given in verses 12-13 of Surah 4, which gives a surviving parent one-sixth of the property in the case where a deceased person has children, and one-eighth to his surviving wife. If the man’s wife is not alive, the whole property is divided in the same manner we have outlined.
