THE Well of Zamzam that gushed forth underneath the footsteps of Ismail, (peace be upon him), is considered one of the perennial miracles of Allah and an important source of water within the Holy Haram in Makkah Mukarramah. Zamzam before Islam It was reported on the authority of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be on him) came to Makkah along with Hajar, the mother of Ismail, who was a suckling baby. He left her son in a place on the spot where Zamzam stands now with a water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. She used to drink and then give suck to her son until the water had all been used up. Then, her child (Ismail) became thirsty and she started looking at him crying in agony. The mother of Ismail thought that he was dying of thirst; so, she left him and went to the mountain of Safa (that was the nearest mountain to her). She stood on it and started scanning the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she didn't see anyone. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she ran till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwah mountain where she stood expecting to see somebody, but she could see nothing. She did that (running between the Safa and Marwah mountains) seven times. When she returned to her son, she heard a voice and she said: “O (whoever you may be), You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?” Ibn Abbas added: “The Archangel Jibril (Gabriel) struck (dug) the earth with a stick (at the place of Zamzam), till water flowed from that place. She started making something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin. Then she drank (water) and suckled her child.” Imam Al-Bukhari in his Sahih mentions this incident in detail. First sign of settlement in Makkah Al-Azraqi mentions in his Akhbar Makkah and At-Tabari in his Tarikh Ar-Rusul Wal-Muluk that some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by Hajar and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming in a trading caravan from Ash-Sham (present Syria). They landed in the lower part of Makkah where they saw a bird hovering above the valley. Someone said, “This bird must be hovering over water (of a well), though we know that there is no water in this valley.” They sent two men to see what was there. They came to Ismail's mother Hajar and talked to her. Then, they returned to inform their people of the good news. Soon, they all came and settled beside the water after getting the permission of Ismail's mother. The narration cited that she granted them permission to dwell in this place without having any right over the water to which they agreed. The area of dwellings at Makkah had been increasing especially after Abraham and his son Ismail, (peace be upon him), built the Sacred House. The tribe of Jurhum continued to exercise control over the Sacred House and the Well of Zamzam for a period of time until a Yemenite tribe called Khuz'ah emigrated to this place after the collapse of the Ma'rib dam. Khuz'ah went into battle with Jurhum and at the end Khuz'ah were victorious and took charge of the Sacred House. The Jurhumites were finally driven out from Makkah and they dispersed in the province of Tuhamah. In the 5th century, Quasyy Ibn Kilab established his control over Makkah after a fierce battle with the tribe of Khuzaah ending with their evacuation from Makkah and joining Kinanah under his authority. He thereupon brought people of Quraish to Makkah and divided its territory among its clans. The Well of Zamzam at that time was lying neglected since it had been buried under the earth and its landmarks were hidden from the sight completely. It continued to be so until Abd Al-Muttalib Ibn Hashim, the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), rediscovered it. One may wonder how did people of Makkah and the pilgrims drink (water) when Zamzam was covered under tons of dust and rubbish? The answer is: There were wells and springs that were dug after the disappearance of the well of Zamzam such as the well of Al-Yusrah that was dug by Ka'b Ibn Luwayy and another well called Ar-Rwua; they were near mount Arafah. Abd Al-Muttalib dug Zamzam following the incident of the Elephant after he saw an angelic figure in a vision saying, “Dig Zamzam.” Then, it vanished and once again came to him and said, “Dig Zamzam.” When Abd Al-Muttalib woke up, he went immediately to the Sacred House wherein he discovered the place and started to dig in the assigned location but people of Quraish came to him and asked him, “What are you doing, why do you dig in the sanctuary?” Abd Al-Muttalib replied: “I am going to dig this well and fight anyone who tries to bar me.” He continued along with his only son Al-Harith at that time to dig despite their protest. Some Quraishites disputed with them while others stopped because they knew well Abd Al-Muttalib's high-ranking pedigree. Digging continued until he found golden swords. When the people saw the swords they said, “O Abd Al-Muttalib, we should have a share in what you have found.” He replied that these swords would go to the Sacred House. He continued to dig until water flowed from beneath. Then, he built a cistern beside it and used to fill it with water along with his son so that pilgrims may drink thereof. But some people of Quraish used to break this cistern by night and Abd Al-Muttalib would repair it the following morning. When this became unbearable, Abd Al- Muttalib supplicated his Lord (against them), then a shadowy figure appeared in a vision and told him to say: “O Lord, I do not make it permissible for the one who wants to take a bath in it but it is permissible for anyone to have a drink (of water) from it.” When Abd Al-Muttalib woke up, he proclaimed what he had seen in the sanctuary, then he went out. Afterwards, nobody from the Quraish tampered with the Zamzam cistern. Zamzam in Islamic era After Abd Al-Muttalib dug the well of Zamzam, it became the prime source of water for the pilgrims to the Sacred House. With the advent of Islam, its importance increased since many Ahadith were reported in its favor. We may cite some of these Ahadith here: Ahmad reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), said, “Fever is from the heat of the Hell-fire; so, cool it with Zamzam water.” Ali Ibn Talib also reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him), performed Tawaf (circumambulation) of Ka'bah, then he asked that a bucket of Zamzam water should be brought to him. He afterwards performed ablution with this water and said, “Draw water O Banu Abd Al-Muttalib, were it not that people would usurp this right of supplying water from you, I would have drawn it along with you.” Othaman Ibn Saj narrated, “Muqatil informed me on the authority of Ad-Dahhak Ibn Muzahim that Allah, Glorified and Exalted be He, will take away the fresh water before the Day of Judgment. All sources and springs of water supply will be lost except the water of Zamzam and the earth will issue (cast away) what is in its hollows of gold and silver. At that movement, a man will come with a sack full of gold and silver and offer it saying: Is there anyone who accepts this from me? He will be told: Had you offered it yesterday we would have accepted it.” (To be continued)— Courtesy: Muslim World League Journal, Makkah __
