5 things you need to know about Zem-zem water

How can we talk about the great pilgrimage (hajj) without mentioning the water of Zem-zem? This is virtually impossible, since the two are intimately linked, and every Muslim knows that this blessed water is an integral part of Allah's religion, and that He has willed it to flow to this day.

How can we talk about the great pilgrimage(hajj) without mentioning the water of Zem-zem?

Every Muslim knows that this blessed water is an integral part of Allah's religion, and that He wanted it to continue flowing to this day.

But do you really know its history? Do you know how it came about, and in what context? Here's a look back at this eternal miracle from Allah!

The story of Zem-zem water

In a very long hadith reported by Al Boukhari, Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) gives us a precise account of the story of the water of Zem-zem, which he had heard from the Prophet, peace and salvation be upon him.

1) Ibrahim acts on Allah's command

While Ibrahim's second wife, Hajar, was nursing a baby, none other than the future Prophet Ismail, peace be upon him, Ibrahim took them to Mecca on Allah's orders.

In spite of this, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, in obedience to his Lord, left his wife and son with a simple bag of dates and a wineskin of water.

He set them up near a tree, not far from the site of the future Zem-zem well.

Then Ibrahim, peace be upon him, began to leave, without looking back. Hajar kept calling out to him, and, faced with his silence, asked him the famous question: "Did Allah order you to behave like this?

Ibrahim, peace be upon him, replied: "If that's so, then Allah will not abandon us".

We can see how Hajar had put all her trust in Allah, even though she found herself in the middle of nowhere, alone, with a small baby.

After walking for a while, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, turned back to the place where he had left his family, and made this famous invocation, found in the Koran (Sura 14, v.37): " O our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in a valley without agriculture, near Your sacred House [la Ka'ba], -O our Lord- so that they may perform Salat. So make the hearts of some of the people incline towards them. And feed them with fruit. Perhaps they will be grateful

Despite the fact that he was a prophet, Ibrahim was still worried about his family, which is only natural.

And since his love and tawakkoul for Allah were extremely powerful, he turned to the most powerful of the powerful, asking him to protect them.

2) Hajar finds herself alone with Ismaïl

Soon, food and water began to run out for Hajar, and Ismaïl, peace be upon him, was writhing in pain from hunger.

It was at this precise moment that she set out to make seven round trips between the Safa and Marwa mountains, in the hope of finding water or someone who could help her.

The ordeal she underwent has become an essential rite of the hajj, the 5th pillar of Islam, performed by millions of pilgrims every year.

3) Allah rewards Hajar with the water of Zem-zem

Allah azzawajal rewarded our mother Hajar's patience and piety by sending her the best angel there is: Jibril, peace be upon him.

It was then that he struck the ground with his wing, spouting thezamzam water from which the well took its name.

Hajar was thus able to rehydrate his body and that of his son Ismaïl, peace be upon him.

Fearing that the water would escape, she began gathering stones to stop it flowing.

The Angel Jibril, peace be upon him, replied, "Do not fear loss, for there will be a house of Allah here, which this child and his father will build."

And, of course, his words came true, for a few years later, Ibrahim and his son Ismail, peace be upon them, built the Ka'ba, the House of Allah, together.

4) Mecca begins to be inhabited, Ibrahim returns to Mecca

Some time later, a group of travelers settled in Mecca, not far from Hajar and Ismail, peace be upon him.

They formed a town, and the future prophet Ismaïl, peace be upon him, learned Arabic from them, and quickly distinguished himself. He then married one of the tribe's women.

As time went by and our noble mother Hajar died, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, returned and asked his son to help him build the Sacred House of Allah, the Ka'ba, again by Allah's command.

As they built the Ka'ba, they often repeated this invocation: " O our Lord, accept this from us! For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing."

5) The benefits of Zem-zem water

After these brief paragraphs, it's easy to see that Zem-zem water is not just a mineral water to be consumed without a second thought.

Abdallah Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, even considered the water of Zem-zem to be the drink of the pious and of those close to Allah.

When drinking this water, Muslims are advised to make invocations, which will be answered, in sha Allah.

Another benefit of Zem-zem water, which is often forgotten, is that it is also a cure for all illnesses. How many of our brothers and sisters can testify that they have been cured just by drinking Zem-zem water?

Many, surely!

We'll end by saying that it's an extraordinary and unusual water, since it was chosen to wash the heart of our Prophet Mohammed, peace and salvation be upon him, when he was just a child.