Question Summary:
When leaving for umrah from south africa and going to makkah first, Can to read the salaatul ihraam in south africa and wear a kurta, socks and shoes etc. until just before you

Question Detail:

When leaving for umrah from south africa and going to makkah first, Can to read the salaatul ihraam in south africa and wear a kurta, socks and shoes etc. until just before you reach the meqaat. upon reaching the meqaat you remove all clothing not permissible in the state of ihraam. Is it permissible to do so?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
 
The preferred method of donning the ihram is as follows:
A person should clip his nails and remove any unwanted hair. Take a ghusl for ihram or at least should perform wudhu. He should use the miswak, comb his hair and beard and apply itr (scent). Thereafter he should remove all sewn clothes and put on his best clothes. Preferably new or washed clothes. It should be white in colour. Thereafter, he should perform two rak’ahs and preferably recite surah Kafiroon in the first rak;ah and surah Ikhlas in the second rak’ah. Thereafter, he should make intention and recite the talbiyyah whilst sitting facing towards the qibla. Thereafter, he should make dua.
 
A person only becomes a muhrim (enters the state of ihram) after making intention and reciting the talbiyyah.
 
Performing the two rak’ahs of ihram is sunnah. It is makrooh to enter into ihram without performing these two rak’ahs except if a person adorns the ihram at a time when it is makrooh to perform salah. It is mustahab for a person to enter into ihram immediately after performing the two rak’ahs of salah without much a delay.
 
If a person is going from South Africa, he could perform these two rak’ahs on the plane.
 
Refer to:
Manasik Mullah Ali Qari Pg 91 & 96-100 Idaratul Quran
Ghunayatul Mutamalli Pg 220 Suhail Academy
 
And Allah knows best
Wassalamu Alaikum
Ml. Ishaq E. Moosa,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah