ALMISKEENAH

We made every living thing from water..  (21:30)

Alhudulillah through the mercy and generosity of Allah Ta’ala, the miraculous Zamzam that Muslims cherish is made available in Madinah. Tankers travel from Makkah daily, supplying the thousands of containers inside Masjid an-Nabawi, as well as the distribution station located at the North West corner of the courtyard. People line up for hours in the searing sun.

They come with trolleys, on bicycles, with baby strollers, piled high with 20 litre containers, to replenish their supply of this remarkable Ni’amah. The courtyard fences provide a secure place to chain containers until people can attend to the filling.

The Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasllam said: "The best water on the face of the earth is the water of Zamzam; it is a kind of food and a healing from sickness."

"The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for."

" The most sublime of all earthly waters is that of zamzam;
therein one finds food for the hungry and medicine for the ill.”

"Zamzam water is what one intends to drink it for. When one drinks it to be healed, Allah heals him; when one drinks it to be full, Allah makes him full; and when one drinks it to quench his thirst, Allah quenches it. "

The Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum used to call it al-Shabbaa’ah, satisfying, and it helped them to care for their families as it was filling and nourishing for children when food was not so plentiful.

People require water for almost for everything but not all water carries the same value and significance. Muslims refer to the water of Zamzam as something revered and unique. They crave this mysterious liquid and love to drink it whenever they can. And for those who managed to go to the Hajj, they return home carrying it for thousands of miles as a prized possession and to give as special gift to their friends and families.

So what is so special about Zamzam water? In a word: Everything! There is nothing ordinary about it. The miracle of how it came to being in the middle of a desert, its consistency throught out 1000s of years, the beneficial qualities it has, the fact that it never dries up. This water is special.

The Zamzam Well is hand-excavated and is about 30.5 m deep, with an internal diameter ranging from 1.08 to 2.66 m. Hydrogeologically, the well lies within Wadi Ibrahim, which runs through the Holy City of Makkah.

A pumping test at 8000 liters/second for more than a 24 hour period showed a drop in water level from 3.23 meters below surface to 12.72 meters and then to 13.39 meters, after which the water level stopped receding. When pumping stopped, the water level recovered to 3.9 meters below surface only 11 minutes later.

This photo shows how a building was constructed over the place where the Zamzam Well is located. It was built during the era of Sultan `Abd Al-Hamid the Second in 1300 AH, engineered by As-Said Muhammad Sadiq. 

A closer view of the building…. 

…and a detail of the elaborate faucet system…. 

…and one of the many designs built around the top of the Well when men manually drew the water with buckets and pulleys.

Eventually, during the modern era, the building of Zamzam was reconstructed but away from its original location since the old building that was located near the Ka`bah used to hinder Tawaf in the modern age because of the large number of the pilgrims. The water of Zamzam was conducted to its new location in the eastern part of the Sanctuary by way of engines for lifting water and pipes. There became an assigned place for men and another for women. Finally, it is worth mentioning that despite the passage of thousands of years on discovering the Well of Zamzam, its water remained and will continue to be a source of purity and cure.

Imam al-Shafi (Allah have mercy on him) said: I drank Zamzam water for three matters: For archery, and I would hit the target ten times out of ten or nine times out of ten, for knowledge, and I am as you see me, and for entering paradise, and I hope to attain this. More inspiring Zamzam accounts here.

Zamzamis distributed the water to people in and around the Holy Mosque. In the past, Zamzamis who formerly did this work had to go first to the sheikh who organized the flow of Zamzam. Each Zamzami — the person carrying Zamzam — got a specified amount of the water. The water was put into a container — girba — made of goatskin. They waited in specific locations inside the Holy Mosque where each Zamzami received the pilgrims.

And Zamzam available here.

May Allah bestow mercy on Hajar Alaihas Salam! Had she let the Zamzam flow without trying to control it or had she not scooped from that water to fill her water skin, Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth. SubhanAllah! 

All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam.  May He accept our humble efforts and grant us the capacity to be good and do good. Ameen.