Entering a state of Ihraam before reaching the Meeqaat is valid but disliked
20-1-2014 | IslamWeb
Question:
We went to perform ‘Umrah this year. We passed by the Meeqaat but did not stop therein to perform prayer because we did not know how to access it. We entered the state of Ihraam about ten kilometers before the Meeqaat. What are we required to do now?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
If you passed by the Meeqaat while in a state of Ihraam, then your Ihraam is valid and you are not required to do anything. The prayer that is recommended by scholars to be offered for Ihraam should be performed before it and it is not conditioned to perform it at the Meeqaat. This prayer is just recommended and the one who does not perform it is not liable to do anything. Ibn Al-Munthir 
said in relation to this point: "Scholars have unanimously agreed on the validity of the Ihraam of a person who performed it before reaching the Meeqaat. However, it is better to start it at the Meeqaat and it is disliked to do so before it. An opinion that is similar to this was attributed to ‘Umar and ‘Uthmaan 
. It is also the opinion adopted by Al-Hasan, ‘Ataa’, Maalik and Is-haaq 
. Whereas, Abu Haneefah said that it is better for a person to start Ihraam from his country. Ash-Shaafi‘i adopted both opinions (according to two different narrations)." [Ibn Qudaamah in Al-Mughni]