Entering Medina without Ihram for those who live close

Question:
We live in a city close to Medina Munawwara. I wanted to inquire if we
are allowed to travel to Makkah without Ihraam. If for instance, we
want to go to Makkah to meet relatives who've come for Hajj or Umrah,
can we go there without Ihraam with the intention of only doing
tawaaf? Some people are of the view that its strictly forbidden to
travel to Makkah withoutIhraam (under Hanafi Madhab). Kindly guide us
the Shariah ruling in this regard. We would beextremly grateful.
Answer:
Assalamu alaykum
In the name of Allah the Inspirer of truth.
According to the scholars of Islam, the area of the haram is a
sanctified area and anyone who ventures therein is required to observe
certain proceduresof pilgrim sanctity or ihram, and fulfill certain
rites like umra to the house of Allah.
Hence, the Hanafi position on this is that it is not permitted to
enter into the haram area (and pass the miqat) except with a valid
ihram (Radd al-muhtar).
You may want speak to some local Hanafi scholars in Madina Munawwara
or Makka Mukarrama if any special concessions can be made based on the
Shafi'i school, for instance, for taxi drivers who face this issue all
the time. However, for someone visiting the haram area occasionally
like yourself, there should not be any need to look for concessions
and instead benefit from the blessedness of the area.
And Allah knows best.