“Our Lord ! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in an uncultivable valley by Your Sacred House (The Ka’bah at Makkah) in order, O our Lord, that they may perform As-Salat (Iqama-as-Salah). So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits so that they may give thanks.”
Al Qur’an Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14 Verse : 37
“The most sublime of all earthly water is that Zamzam; therein one finds food for the hungry and medicine for all the ill.”
(At-Tabarani)
Imam Nawawi wrote in Majmu',
"The Shafi'is and others recommend drinking from the water of zamzam as much as possible, taking one's fill of it, and drinking it for the affairs of this world and the hereafter. So if one wishes to drink it for forgiveness or recovery from an illness and the like, he faces the qibla, mentioning the name of Allah, then says, 'O Allah, it has reached me that your Messenger, peace be upon him, said: The water of Zamzam is for that which it was drunk for. O Allah, I drink it so that you may forgive me. O Allah, forgive me. Or [one says], O Allah I drink it seeking healing from illness; O Allah, heal me.'
Remember Allah SWT and drink it in three breaths just as you consume any other drink.
Narrated from Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him:
'The Messenger of Allah, upon whom be peace, said of zamzam, 'It is blessed. It is nourishing food, and a healing for sickness.' (Saheeh al-Jaami', 3302).
This is why pilgrims to Makkah to this day collect it in bottles to bring for relatives and friends back home who are ill.
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) used to carry Zamzam water in pitchers and water skins back to Madinah. He used to sprinkle it over the sick and make them drink it.
Wahab Ibn Munabbah, who was from the second generation of Muslims, said
'I swear by Him in whose possession my life is, Allah Ta'ala will relieve the person of all illnesses who drinks Zamzam to his fill and will also grant him good health.'
Some vital steps to remember:
- To face the qibla :Uthman ibn al-Aswad reported that he talked to someone who had sat with Ibn Abbas. This person told him [Uthman], 'Ibn Abbas asked me where I was coming from. I told him I had just finished drinking from zamzam. Ibn Abbas then asked me if I had drunk like I was supposed to. I asked him, how should I drink? He said, 'When you drink [zamzam], face the qibla, then mention Allah's name, then drink it in three breaths, and drink as much as you can. When you are done, praise Allah because the Prophet, peace be upon him, used to say, 'A major difference between us and the hypocrites is that they do not drink their fill of the water of zamzam.'"
- To drink one's fill
- To look at the Ka'ba every time you sip [if you're in Mecca]
- To sprinkle a little water on your head, face, and chest
- To say increased supplication
- To drink it for whatever you need of this world or the hereafter
- To say 'O Allah, it has reached me that your Messenger, peace be upon him, said: The water of zamzam is for that which it was drunk for. O Allah, I drink it for such and such.' Then name what you want from this world or the hereafter. Then say, 'O Allah, please do this out of your bounty.'
- To say the du'a of Ibn Abbas, 'O Allah! Grant me beneficial knowledge, bountiful provision, and a healing from every disease.'
Many Ulema claim that the benefits of zamzam are not limited to the drinker, meaning that if someone drinks zamzam for their child or brother for example, the benefits can reach this person if the drinker has sincere intentions.
The small 5ft. deep well is far away from any other source or body of water. It is self-replenishing. It is constantly replenishing itself in order to produce gallons upon gallons of water for consumption of thirsty pilgrims plus the additional amount that is bottled and also the amount that is taken as gift distributed worldwide to millions.
Zamzam water has scientifically been proven to contain healing qualities due to its higher contents of Calcium and Magnesium Salts and also the natural fluorides that encompass a germicidal action.
It is also and established scientific fact that pools or water wells tend to grow vegetation such as algae especially in warm climates. Amazingly this is not the case in the well of Zamzam. It has remained free form biological contaminants.
From the time that Syedna Hagira (May Allah please be with her) wandered aimlessly through the desert in search of sustenance for her son & herself; to moment that Ismael, alayhes salam, kicked hi tiny feet on the sand and the well of Zamzam was born out of the great Mercy of Allah, Muslims have been drinking from it. What is more fascinating is that it has never dried up. To Muslims this blessed water is special in significance and history.
Ibn Abbas narrated that the Prophet Mohammed, Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, said :
“When Abrahim had differences with his wife, (because if her jealousy of Hajira, may Allah please be with her, Ishmael’s mother) he took Ismaeal and his mother and went away. They had a water skin with them containing some water, Ismael’s mother used to drink water from the water skin so that her milk would increase for her child. When Abrahim alayhes salam, reached Makkah, he made her sit under a tree and afterwards returned home. Ismeal’s mother followed him, and when they reached Kada, she called him from behind, ‘O Ibrahim ! To whom are you leaving us ? He replied (I am leaving you) to Allah’s ( Care ).’ She said, ‘ I am satisfied to be with Allah.’ She returned to her place and started drinking water form the water-skin and her milk increased for her child. When the water had all been used up, she said to herself, ‘ I would better go and look so that I may see somebody.’ She ascended the hill of SAFA and looked, hoping to see somebody, but in vain. When she came down to the Valley, she ran till she reached the hill of the MARWA. She ran to and fro (between the two hills) many times. Then she said ( to herself ), ‘ I would better go and see the state of the child,’ she went and found it in a state of one on the point of dying. She could not endure to watch her child dying and said ( to herself ).’If I go and look, I may find somebody.’ She went and ascended the hill of the SAFA and looked for a long while but could not see anybody. Thus she completed seven rounds (of running) between SAFA and MARWA. Again she said (to herself), ‘I would better go back and see how child is doing.’ But all of a sudden she heard a voice, and she said to that strange voice, ‘Help us if you can offer any help.’ It was Jibrael alayhes salam (who had made the voice). Jibrael alayhes salam hit the earth with his heel like this ( Ibn Abbas hit the earth with his heel to illustrate, and so the water gushed out. Ismael’s mother was astonished and started digging…She started drinking from the water and milk for her child (
Sahih Bukhari ).
In another narration of Ibn Abbas, the Prophet Mohammed Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, said :
“May Allah be merciful to the mother of Ismael ! If she had left the water of Zamzam (fountain) as it was, (without constructing a basin for keeping the water), it would have been a flowing stream. Jurhum (an ancient Arab tribe) came to Hajira, may Allah peace be with her, and asked her. ‘May we settle at your dwelling?’ She said, ‘Yes, but have no right to posses the water. ‘They agreed.”(
Sahih Bukhari).
The Saudi Geological Survey has a “Zamzam Studies and Research Centre” which analyses the technicalproperties of the well in detail. Water levels were monitored by hydrograph, which in more recent times has changed to a digital monitoring system that tracks the water level, electric conductivity, pH, Eh, and temperature.
All of this information is made continuously available via the Internet. Other wells throughout the valley have also been established, some with digital recorders, to monitor the response of the local aquifer system.
The water level is 3.23 m (10.6 ft) below the surface. A pumping test at 8,000 litres per second (280 cu ft/s) for more than a 24 hour period showed a drop in water level from 3.23 m (10.6 ft) below surface to 12.72 m (41.7 ft) and then to 13.39 m (43.9 ft), after which the water level stopped receding. When pumping stopped, the water level recovered to 3.9 m (13 ft) below surface only 11 minutes later. This data shows that the aquifer feeding the well seems to recharge from rock fractures in neighbouring mountains around Mecca. Zamzam water has no colour or smell, but it has a distinct taste, and its pH is 7.9–8.0, indicating that it is alkaline to some extent and is similar to seawater. Minerals Mass concentration as reported by researchers at King Saud University.
- Sodium 133 mg/L (4.8×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Calcium 96 mg/L (3.5×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Magnesium 38.88 mg/L (1.405×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Potassium 43.3 mg/L (1.56×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Bicarbonate 195.4 mg/L (7.06×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Chloride 163.3 mg/L (5.90×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Fluoride 0.72 mg/L (2.6×10−8 lb/cu in)
- Nitrate 124.8 mg/L (4.51×10−6 lb/cu in)
- Sulfate 124.0 mg/L (4.48×10−6 lb/cu in)
- pH 8