Which Prophet Had the Zamzam Water Gush at His Feet?
من النبي الذي تفجّر ماء زمزم عند قدميه؟
Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon him.
هو إسماعيل عليه السلام.
1. Left in an Empty Valley | بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ
Prophet Ibrahim left his wife Hajar and their infant son Ismail in the barren valley that would become Makkah, with nothing but a bag of dates and a small water-skin, by Allah's command. This account is recorded in a long, detailed hadith narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) in Sahih al-Bukhari 3364.
ترك إبراهيم عليه السلام زوجه هاجر وابنهما إسماعيل رضيعًا في الوادي القاحل الذي صار مكة، وليس معهما إلا جراب فيه تمر وسقاء فيه ماء، بأمر من الله تعالى. وقد جاء ذلك في حديث طويل مفصّل رواه ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما في صحيح البخاري (3364).
2. Hajar's Search Between Safa and Marwa | سعي هاجر بين الصفا والمروة
When the water ran out and the infant Ismail grew distressed, Hajar ran back and forth seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa searching for help or water, a search that today's pilgrims re-enact during Hajj and Umrah as part of the ritual of Sa'i. It was when she saw an angel digging at Zamzam that the well sprang up. When the Prophet ﷺ reached Safa during his own pilgrimage, he recited the verse naming Safa and Marwa among the symbols of Allah (2:158), as explained in which verse the Prophet recited at Safa and Marwa.
فلما نفد الماء وجعل إسماعيل يتلوّى عطشًا، سعت هاجر بين الصفا والمروة سبع مرات تلتمس عونًا أو ماءً، وهو السعي الذي يؤديه الحجاج والمعتمرون اليوم نسكًا من مناسكهم. ثم رأت المَلَك يبحث الأرض عند موضع زمزم، فتفجّر الماء. ولما بلغ النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم الصفا في حجته قرأ قوله تعالى: (إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ) (البقرة 2: 158)، كما بيّنا في جواب الآية التي قرأها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عند الصفا والمروة.
3. The Well That Sprang Up Beside Him | ماءٌ نبع إلى جواره
According to the hadith, an angel dug at the ground with its heel, or its wing, until water appeared at the place of Zamzam, and Hajar began scooping the water into her water-skin as it continued to flow. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ later said, "May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ismail. Had she left Zamzam, or had she not scooped from the water, Zamzam would have been a flowing spring" (Sahih al-Bukhari 3364). Zamzam still provides water to pilgrims today.
وفي حديث ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما أن المَلَك بحث بعقبه، أو قال: بجناحه، حتى ظهر الماء عند موضع زمزم، فجعلت هاجر تغرف منه في سقائها وهو يفور. وقال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم: "يرحم الله أم إسماعيل، لو تركت زمزم، أو لم تغرف من الماء، لكانت زمزم عينا معينا" (صحيح البخاري 3364). ولا يزال ماء زمزم يُسقى منه الحجاج إلى اليوم.
4. The Same Family That Later Built the Ka'aba | الأسرة التي رفعت قواعد البيت
This same valley, and this same father and son, are also central to Who Raised the Foundations of the Ka'aba in Makkah? Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them) later raised the Ka'aba's foundations together in the very valley where Zamzam had sprung up years earlier, making this infancy story the origin point for two of Makkah's most central features.
وهذا الوادي، وهذا الأب وابنه، هم محور قصة رفع قواعد الكعبة، كما بيّنا في جواب: من الذي رفع قواعد الكعبة في مكة؟ فقد رفع إبراهيم وإسماعيل عليهما السلام قواعد الكعبة معًا في الوادي نفسه الذي تفجّر فيه زمزم قبل ذلك بسنين، فكانت قصة طفولة إسماعيل أصلًا لاثنين من أعظم معالم مكة.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Which prophet had the Zamzam well spring up at his feet?
Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon him, as an infant, recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari 3364.
What ritual today commemorates Hajar's search for water?
The ritual of Sa'i, walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa during Hajj and Umrah.
Is the Zamzam story mentioned in the Quran?
The detailed account comes from the hadith tradition, specifically Sahih al-Bukhari 3364, rather than being narrated in full in the Quran itself.