When do the prohibitions of ihram – such as hunting and cutting down trees – become effective for someone who assumes ihram for Hajj or Umrah many kilometers before the miqat? Is it from the moment of assuming ihram or upon reaching the miqat?

The pilgrim (Hajj or 'Umrah) should not enter into ihram before the miqat makani (designated spatial boundary) as a matter of preference, but if he does enter into ihram, his ihram is valid and he becomes prohibited from what is forbidden to one in ihram, such as land hunting. Land hunting is forbidden to one in ihram by explicit Quranic text: "And forbidden to you is game of the land as long as you are in ihram." Likewise, land hunting within the sacred precinct (haram) is forbidden, whether the hunter is in ihram or not, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying regarding the haram: "Its thorns are not to be cut, nor its game to be startled." As for trees, cutting them is not prohibited for one in ihram or not in ihram unless they are within the boundaries of the haram.