This historic photograph shows the location of the Zamzam well in the Mataf area.
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) took his son Ismail (peace be upon him) and the mother of the child Hajra (peace be upon her) to Mecca, where he left them with some water and dates as provisions. As soon as the provisions ran out, the mother and son were thirsty and anxious. Hajra (peace be upon her) climbed Mount Safa to see if she could see the people from whom she could get water. When she saw nothing, she crossed the valley and climbed Mount Marwah for the same reason. When she didn’t see anything here either, she ran from Safa to Marwah and again in anxiety. When she did this seven times and was at the top of Marwah Mountain, she heard a sound. When she returned (to where her son was lying), she saw that an angel hit him on the ground with a wing, which caused water to flow from the spot. The name of the well comes from the phrase “Zome Zome”, which means “stop the flow,” a command repeated by Hajra (peace be upon her) during her attempt to contain spring water.
When some time later the Jurhum tribe from Yemen arrived in Mecca, they settled there, and Ismail (peace be with him) married one of them. These were the children of Ismail. (peace be with him), who had the privilege of taking care of the Kaaba, and after them the Jurhum tribe assumed responsibility. However, as soon as these people began to violate the sanctity of the place, Zamzam well dried up for them as a form of punishment, and in the end there was not a trace of it left. For centuries, people did not even know where it is located. The well was rediscovered by Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet (saw).
When the Prophet (saw) was a little boy and played with other children near the house of Haleemah Al-Sadiyah, Angel Jibraeel (peace be upon him) appeared and made him lie down. Then he opened the boy’s chest, took out his heart and took out a piece of meat from it, saying: “This is the part of Shaitan in you.” Then he put his heart in a golden tray filled with Zamzam’s water, washed it and put it in his chest. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) later said that he saw a scar on the Prophet’s chest, where he was sewn together.
There is healing power in Zamzam water. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (saw) said: “The best water on earth is Zamzam water. This is the complete nourishment and healing from diseases. ” [At-Tabarani]
Jaabir (may Allah be pleased with him) says: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (I saw) say:” Zamzam water is a medicine for any purpose for which he is drunk. ” Another hadith declares: “If you drink it to quench your thirst,” it will do it, and if you drink it to fill your stomach instead of food, it will do it, and if you drink it for some kind of treatment. disease, it will cure the disease. ” [It-Haaf]
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that when the Prophet (saw) drank Zamzam, he said the following prayer: “O Allah, grant me useful knowledge, abundant food and medicine for all diseases.”
The Bible refers to the miracle of Zamzam water, when it is said about the passage of Ismail (peace be upon him) and his mother through the valley: “Blessed is the man whose strength is in You; in whose heart are the ways of those who, passing through the valley of Bacca, makes him healthy ”[Psalm 84: 5-6. Please note that the Quran also refers to Mecca as Bakka]
The depth of Zamzam Well is about 30 meters. Up until 1953, water was drawn by bucket, now electric pumps are pumping water into tanks.
Location in map
Source: The History of Makkah Mukarramah – Dr Muhammad Ilyas Abdul Ghani, Holy Makkah – Shaikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, When the Moon Split – Shaikh Safiur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, Virtues of Hajj – Sheikh Zakariyya Kandhalvi, Muhammad – Martin Lings, Wikipedia