Question:
Dear scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. A person travels from Riyadh to Makkah and does not intend to perform Hajj or `Umrah. After arriving in Makkah he wants to perform Hajj, so he assumes Ihram from Jeddah for the (Qiran) type of Hajj. Is his Ihram acceptable from Jeddah or does he have to sacrifice an animal? Also, does he have to go to one of the known miqats? Jazakum Allah khayran.

Answer:
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah, the Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake alone.
If a person travels to Makkah without the intention of performing Hajj or `Umrah, then he changes his mind and wants to perform either of them, he should assume ihram from the place where he makes the intention to perform Hajj or Umrah.
In this regard, Sheikh `Abdul `Aziz Ibn Baz, the late Mufti of Saudi Arabia, stated:
�Whoever travels from Riyadh or any other place and intends to go to Makkah, but he does not intend to perform Hajj or `Umrah, and only intends to do something like business or visiting relatives, then after his arrival in Makkah he decides to perform Hajj or `Umrah, he should assume Ihram from his place where he was. If he was in Jeddah, he should assume ihram from Jeddah, and if he was in Makkah, he should assume ihram from Makkah. Similarly, if a person is in any place and decides to perform Hajj or 'Umrah while he is in that place, he should assume ihram from wherever he is if he is within (the boundaries of) the miqats. There is no harm in this, because his miqat is the place from where he intends to perform Hajj. This is based on the hadith in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when he designated the miqats: "Whoever is closer (to Makkah) than that, then his place of ihram is from where he began. Even the people of Makkah assume ihram from Makkah." (Reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim)�.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Responded by: Sheikh `Abdul `Az�z Ibn B�z