If we know whom we can trust, a remedy will come out of nowhere when we least expect it. Abraham’s (as) Marriage to Hagar and the Story of Zamzam water.

Abraham (as) and Sarah were getting old but had no kids. Sarah decided to set Hagar free and have her married to Abraham (as). From that marriage, Ismail (as) was born and the Mohammedan Light passed onto him. Sarah had previously thought the she would be the one to pass on that light. So, she became upset and asked Abraham (as) to take Hagar away. With the command of Allah, Abraham (as) took Hagar and their son, Ismail (as) to the barren and remote land of Mecca. Jibril (as) led the way as their guide. When they reached Mecca, he said:

“This is the place where you will settle your family!”

Abraham (as) said, “But this land is not good for farming or herding”.

“Certainly not”, said Jibril (as). “But it is here that the Unlettered Prophet will be born from your son’s lineage…and the highest word (kalimatu’-l-ulya) will be completed through him!” (Ibn Sad, 38: I, 164)

DID ALLAH COMMAND YOU TO LEAVE US HERE?’

Bukhari mentions the following, which Ibn Abbas (as) narrates from the Prophet (saw):

“Abraham (as) took our mother Hagar and Ismail (as), who still being breastfed at the time, to Mecca. He left both of them under a tree, beneath of which the zamzam water would later spring…and placed a basket of dates and a pitcher full of water by their side. He then turned back. As he was walking away, Hagar called out to him:

‘Did Allah command you to leave us here?’

‘Yes’, responded Abraham (as).

‘Then Allah will protect us. He will not let us to go to waste’, Hagar said with confidence.

Once Hagar and Ismail (as) were no longer in sight, Abraham (as) raised his hands and prayed:

“Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.” (Ibrahim, 14: 37) (Al-Bukhari, Anbiya, 9)

“And when Abraham said, ‘My Lord, make this a secure city and provide its people with fruits, whoever of them believes in Allah and the Last Day.’ Allah said, ‘And whoever disbelieves, I will grant him enjoyment for a little; then I will force him to the punishment of the Fire, and wretched is the destination.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 126)

The Almighty also provides for disbelievers in this life and gives them every opportunity to make the most of what the world has to offer. Being rich therefore does not depend on being religious. That is something given to both non-Muslims and Muslims alike. However, wealth and power are not necessarily good. It all depends on what they result in. If they become means for better service to the Lord, they are reasons for happiness in both worlds. Yet, if they lead one astray, they lay waste to eternity and bring, not pleasure, but misery.

Allah (jj) granted Abraham’s wish. It is because of that prayer that Muslims, who offer pilgrimage, feel a deep love for Mecca and find peace in visiting it. After that prayer, the barren Mecca also turned into a land fertile with dates and a variety of other fruits.

However, perhaps most famously, Abraham’s (as) prayer burst forth the zamzam water.

The water Abraham (as) had left in the pitcher had quickly run out. In panic and under scorching heat, Hagar ran back and forth between the hills Safa and Marwa in search of water. The distance between each hill is roughly 400 meters. As she kept running, she had one eye out for the little Ismail (as). There was not a bird in the sky, let alone a human being anywhere near. There was no sign of life. However, as she was on the Marwa Hill, she heard a voice:

“Stop and listen”, it said. It was the voice of Jibril (as). Hagar look towards where the voice was coming from. Jibril (as) continued:

“You have been entrusted with He, who has power over everything. Do not fear you will perish! Over there is the spot for the House of Allah. That kid and his father will build it. Allah (jj) will not forsake the builders of His house!”

Hagar then ran back to her son to see a spring of water bursting beneath his foot. She elatedly thanked Allah. Fearing the water would flow for only a bit, she dug up the sand and made a pool to collect it. However, it just kept gushing out. She then had to say, ‘zam, zam’, which means ‘stop, stop’.

The Prophet (saw) says:

“May Allah have mercy on Ismail’s mother, Hagar. If she had left the zamzam alone and not enclosed it, it would certainly have become a fountain that flowed nonstop”. (Al-Bukhari, Anbiya, 9)

This water, which sprung forth from nothing other than submission and reliance on the Lord, will continue to offer healing to believers until the end of time.

The depth of Abraham and Hagar’s submission to the Lord resulted in an enormous blessing. Another aspect of this blessing is that at each pilgrimage, believers replicate our mother Hagar’s run between the hills Safa and Marwah. The practice is a necessary part of both hajj and umrah, as a tribute to Hagar’s toil.

Days followed one another, as the mother and her son began their new lives in a parched and barren land. One day, men from the tribe of Jurhum passed by and noticed a bird hover above that area. They took it as a sign of life and sent two men to inspect. The men returned with the news that there was fresh water. The tribe then asked Hagar for permission to settle.

She said, “Yes…only on the condition you do not stake claim to the well”. The Jurhumites agreed and thus became the first tribe to settle in Mecca.

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Source: Osman Nuri TOPBAŞ, The History Of Prophets In Light Of The Qur’an –
The Chain Of Prophets

Being Patient