MIQAT DHU'L-HULAYFAH
The gateway to the sacred journey — Also known as Masjid ash-Shajarah (the Mosque of the Tree) and Abyar Ali (the Wells of Ali).
The threshold between two worlds
Fourteen kilometers southwest of the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ, where the road inclines towards Mecca, stands a mosque that pilgrims have crossed for fourteen centuries. This is where it all begins. This is where the ordinary traveler becomes a pilgrim. It is here, in this blessed valley, that the garments of the world fall away and the soul strips itself to present, pure and naked, before its Lord.
This place is not just a stop among others. It is the threshold. The invisible boundary between two states of being.
The three names of one place
Masjid ash-Shajarah — the Mosque of the Tree — because the Prophet ﷺ stopped there under a tree during his Farewell Pilgrimage. Dhu'l-Hulayfah — a diminutive of the plant al-Hulaf that grew in this valley. Abyar Ali — the Wells of Ali — because the fourth caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه) ordered wells to be dug here to quench the thirst of the pilgrims.
The founding hadith
Abdullah ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) reported: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ designated Dhu'l-Hulayfah as the Miqat for the people of Medina, al-Juhfah for the Levant, Qarn al-Manazil for Najd, and Yalamlam for Yemen." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 1524 · Sahih Muslim no. 1181)
One night, Jibreel descended and said to the Prophet ﷺ: "Pray in this blessed valley, and perform the Ihram for Hajj and Umrah together." (Sahih al-Bukhari no. 1534)
The rite, the passage
The pilgrim arrives here, performs ghusl, dons the white Ihram, prays two rakats, makes his intention, and pronounces: "Labbayka Allahumma Labbayka. Labbayka, lā sharīka laka, Labbayk." He becomes muhrim — a consecrated one.
Practical information
- Location: Abyar Ali, southwest of Medina
- Distance: 14 km by road · 7 km as the crow flies from the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ
- Architecture: 13 domes · 5 minarets · Second largest Miqat mosque in the world
- Coordinates: 24.4131° N, 39.5831° E