When is the best time to commence Ihram for Hajj or Umrah?
Chapter on Mentioning Ihram
Al-Mughni
Book of Hajj
Primary text
It is recommended to commence Ihram immediately following a prescribed obligatory prayer (Fard). If an obligatory prayer is due, one should perform Ihram after it. Otherwise, one should pray two voluntary units (Rak'at Tat'awwu) and then commence Ihram. This view is supported by 'Ata, Tawus, Malik, Al-Shafi'i, Al-Thawri, Abu Hanifah, Ishaq, Abu Thawr, and Ibn al-Mundhir. This practice is also narrated from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbas. The preferred time is immediately after the prayer, based on the report where Ibn 'Abbas explained that the Prophet (peace be upon him) established the Ihram upon finishing his prayer, then mounted his conveyance and made the declaration (Talbiyah) upon being firmly seated, and then again upon ascending the open land (al-Bida'). The occurrence of the declaration at the later stages is understood as supplementary information clarifying the full sequence, making the commencement after the prayer the primary recommended act for the sake of harmonization among the reports.
Supporting text
A narration from Ahmad suggests that commencing Ihram immediately after prayer, when one is firmly seated on their mount, or when one begins to walk are all considered equal, as all these timings have been narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) through sound chains. Ibn 'Umar, Anas, and Ibn 'Abbas narrated instances where the Prophet (peace be upon him) commenced Talbiyah when his mount was firmly seated.