Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
The disbelievers of Makkah thought that this—meaning Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam)—could show wonders on the earth by the force of his magic, but his magic would not be effective in the sky.
It was on the basis of this notion that they requested the miracle of the splitting of the moon (shaqq al-qamar).
Accordingly, Allah, the Exalted, showed them this (miracle).

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: The meaning of "tawqit" is to specify or determine, and the Shariah has prescribed two types of miqat for Hajj.

➊ Miqat Zamani (Temporal Miqat):
These are the months before which it is unanimously not permissible to enter into the state of ihram for Hajj. Shawwal, Dhu al-Qi'dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah are called "Ashhur al-Hajj" (the months of Hajj).

➋ Miqat Makani (Spatial Miqat):
These are the locations from which one cannot proceed further for Hajj or Umrah without entering into the state of ihram. However, before reaching these points, according to the majority, it is permissible to enter into ihram. According to Imam Ishaq rahimahullah and Dawud rahimahullah, it is not permissible. According to some Hanafis and Shafi'is, it is preferable, and according to Imam Malik rahimahullah, entering into ihram before these points is disliked (makruh). These miqat are, by consensus, five:

➊ Dhu al-Hulayfah:
This is the miqat farthest from Makkah and only ten kilometers from Madinah, and now the population of Madinah has reached up to this point.

➋ Juhfah:
This is ten kilometers from the Red Sea and is an uninhabited place, located 186 kilometers from Makkah via the valley of Jumum. Now people enter into ihram from Rabigh, which is a large city. The people of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, and Africa enter into ihram from here.

➌ Qarn al-Manazil:
This is the closest miqat to Makkah, approximately 30 miles or 45 kilometers away.

➍ Yalamlam:
This is a mountain in Tihamah, south of Makkah, and is forty miles from Makkah.

➎ Dhat 'Irq:
This is 50 miles northeast of Makkah on the route coming from Iraq.

These five miqat are for the residents of these regions and for all others who pass through them for Hajj or Umrah. Those who pass by them from a distance should enter into ihram from the point parallel (muqabil) to these miqat as they pass by. For those whose homes are within the miqat, their miqat is their own home, even for the people of Makkah, who will enter into ihram from their own homes.

According to the majority, if someone going for Hajj passes these locations without entering into ihram and does not return to enter into ihram, then a sacrificial animal (dam) becomes obligatory upon him. According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, he will return while reciting the talbiyah. According to Imam Malik rahimahullah, if he is close, he will return, and according to Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, even if he returns, a dam will still be obligatory. According to Imam Ibn Hazm, the Hajj of one who passes the miqat without ihram is not valid.

Those who live between the miqat and Makkah must enter into ihram from their homes; if they delay, they must offer a dam. However, according to the Hanafis, entering into ihram before entering the Haram is sufficient. Similarly, for the people of Makkah, it is obligatory to enter into ihram from Makkah, but according to the Hanafis, delaying until the last boundary of the Hill is permissible. And this is contrary to the explicit hadith.

One should not delay until another miqat. For example, if a person from Syria comes to Madinah, he must enter into ihram from Dhu al-Hulayfah; he cannot delay until Juhfah. If he delays, according to the majority, he will be sinful and must offer a dam, although according to some Imams, delaying is contrary to what is best but is permissible. For the people of Makkah, for Umrah, according to the four Imams, they must go outside the Haram to the Hill to enter into ihram, but according to Allamah Sindhi, Imam Bukhari's view is that there is no need to go out to the Hill; for both Hajj and Umrah, the miqat for Makkah is Makkah itself.