What is meant by "those present at the Sacred Mosque" mentioned in verse 196 of Surat Al-Baqarah; are they the people of Mecca or the people of the Haram, and what is the ruling on a Meccan performing Tamattu' or Qiran without his family?
Allah Almighty stated regarding those who perform tamattu' (combining 'Umrah with Hajj): ﴿فَمَنْ تَمَتَّعَ بِالْعُمْرَةِ إِلَى الْحَجِّ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنْ الْهَدْيِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فِي الْحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ تِلْكَ عَشَرَةٌ كَامِلَةٌ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَهْلُهُ حَاضِرِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ﴾ [Al-Baqarah: 196] (But whoever performs tamattu' 'Umrah [combined] with Hajj [must offer] an animal of sacrifice easy to obtain. But if he cannot find [one], then a fast of three days during Hajj and seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. That is for whoever whose family is not in the area of Al-Masjid Al-Haram.) [Al-Baqarah: 196]. Scholars have differed regarding the meaning of "those whose family is in the area of Al-Masjid Al-Haram." Some said it refers to those within the boundaries of the Haram. Others said it refers to the people of the Mawaqit (fixed pilgrimage stations) and those closer. Still others said it refers to the people of Makkah and those whose distance from Makkah does not necessitate shortening prayers. The most plausible opinion is that it refers to the people of the Haram. Therefore, whoever is among the people of Al-Masjid Al-Haram is not obliged to offer a sacrificial animal if they perform tamattu' 'Umrah with Hajj. Similarly, the people of Makkah are not required to offer a sacrifice if they perform qiran (combining 'Umrah and Hajj without exiting the state of ihram).
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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