There are seven matters for entering the state of Ihram: 1. It must be in the months of Hajj; if one enters Ihram before that, it is disliked for him, although it is permissible. 2. It must be from the Miqat of his country if he passes by it; because the obligation is to enter Ihram from the Miqat, any Miqat is valid, but it is Sunnah not to deviate from the Miqat of his country or his route. 3. He should perform Ghusl or Wudu as a substitute for Ghusl when intending to pray the two Rak'ahs of Ihram; as narrated from Zaid bin Thabit, may Allah be pleased with him: "He saw the Prophet, peace be upon him, undress for his Ihram and perform Ghusl" [in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 4: 161, Al-Mustadrak 2: 421, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3: 192, Sunan al-Darimi 2: 48]. He should wash with soap or similar and intend by his washing for Ihram, or perform Wudu, and Ghusl is better, while Wudu suffices in terms of establishing the Sunnah, not the virtue, and he should use a miswak at the beginning of his purification and comb his hair after Ghusl. 4. He should wear an Izar (lower garment) from the waist and a Rida (upper garment) from the shoulder; as narrated from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Let one of you enter Ihram in an Izar and Rida" [in Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah 4: 163, Al-Muntaka 1: 111, Musnad Ahmad 2: 34]. This indicates the minimum that is preferable; otherwise, if he is satisfied with one garment, or wears more than two garments, it is permissible, and the condition is to avoid sewn clothing that is worn in the usual manner. 5. He should apply perfume to his body and clothing, and it is better to use perfume that does not leave a trace; it is recommended to use musk and to wash it off with rose water or similar pure water, and it is preferable not to perfume his clothes; as narrated from Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her: "I used to perfume the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for his Ihram before he entered it, and for his release before he circumambulated the House" [in Sahih Muslim 2: 846, Sahih al-Bukhari 1: 104]. And Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "I can see the shine of the perfume in the hair parting of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, while he was in Ihram" [in Sahih al-Bukhari 2: 558, Sahih Muslim 2: 848]. The shine refers to the sparkle and gleam, and the hair parting refers to the place where the hair parts from the forehead. And Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: "We used to go out with the Prophet, peace be upon him, to Mecca, and we would apply perfumed musk to our foreheads at the time of Ihram, and if one of us sweated, it would run down her face, and the Prophet, peace be upon him, would see it and not prohibit her" [in Sunan Abu Dawood 2: 166, Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kabir 5: 48, and others. The chain of narrators is trustworthy except for Abu Dawood's sheikh, and Al-Nasa'i said: there is no harm in him, and Ibn Hibban in Al-Thiqat said: his narration is sound in what he reports. See: I'la al-Sunan p. 10: 35]. The musk is a type of perfume. And from Abu Ya'la, may Allah be pleased with him, he said: "A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon him, while he was in Al-Ji'ranah, ... wearing a woolen cloak perfumed with fragrance, and he said: O Messenger of Allah, what do you think of a man who enters Ihram for Umrah in a cloak after he has perfumed himself ...? The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: As for the perfume on you, wash it off three times, and as for the cloak, take it off, then do in your Umrah what you do in your Hajj" [in Sahih Muslim 2: 837, Sahih al-Bukhari 2: 557]. 6. He should perform two Rak'ahs for the Sunnah of Ihram; as narrated from Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him: "I saw the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, pray two Rak'ahs at Dhul-Hulaifah" [in Sahih Muslim 1: 481, Sahih al-Bukhari 2: 461]. And from Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him: "The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, went out for Hajj, and when he prayed in his mosque at Dhul-Hulaifah the two Rak'ahs, he made his intention in his place, then he proclaimed the Talbiyah for Hajj when he finished his two Rak'ahs" [in Al-Mustadrak 1: 620, and it is authenticated, Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kabir 5: 37, Sunan Abu Dawood 2: 150, Musnad Ahmad 1: 260]. 7. He should adhere to the specific Talbiyah mentioned in the hadiths, repeating it three times whenever he mentions it, and raising his voice with it, except for women, as their voice is considered 'Awrah. See: Al-Labab and Al-Maslak pp. 101-102.