Hukum Memulai Ihram Haji Sebelum Masuk Bulan Haji (Studi Komparasi Empat Mazhab)

The Ruling on Initiating Ihram for Haji Before the Designated Months: A Comparative Study of the Four Madhabs

Abstract

This study examines the legal issue of initiating hajj ihram before entering the hajj months (asyhur al-Hajj) through a comparative study of the four Sunni schools of jurisprudence, namely Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hambali. The research focuses on three problem formulations: the concept of hajj ihram and mīqāt zamānī in Islam, the views of the four schools regarding the ruling on initiating ihram before the hajj months, and a comparative analysis of these differing opinions. This is a qualitative study employing a library research method with a normative-comparative approach, examining classical fiqh texts as primary sources and contemporary literature as secondary sources. The findings show that the mīqāt zamānī for hajj is set in the months of Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa'dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah. The four schools agree that hajj ihram should be initiated within these months, but differ regarding the ruling on ihram performed before them. The Hanafi, Maliki, and Hambali schools consider such ihram valid but makruh (disliked), whereas the Shafi'i school holds it invalid as hajj ihram, converting instead into umrah ihram. This difference stems from divergent interpretations of Surah al-Baqarah verse 197 and the differing methods of legal istinbāṭ (derivation) employed by each school. This study is expected to enrich the field of comparative fiqh and serve as a reference for hajj organizers and pilgrims in Indonesia.