Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Zamzam spring was first discovered 5,000 years ago when baby Prophet Ismail ‘alayhi salam kicked his feet on the ground while crying because of thirst, while his mother, Hajar was seeking water by running between the hills of Shafa and Marwah which is about 450 meters long.
By the command of Allah ﷻ, angel Gabriel slammed his wings on the ground until the water was gushing from where Prophet Ismail ‘alayhi salam kicked his feet.
Since then, Zamzam water keeps flowing out and never dries, appealing many people from various tribes to inhabit the dry and barren valley of Makkah.
Zamzam well, which is located 20 meters from the Kaaba, is known as the oldest of its kind in the world, although research indicated the age of the spring was only 70 years.
Nowadays, the water from the Zamzam well which is 30 meters deep is pumped at a maximum speed of 18.5 liters per second and at least 11 liters per second to meet the needs of Muslims from all over the world who perform worships in the Holy Land.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said, ” May Allah bestow mercy on Ismail’s mother! Had she left the Zamzam flow without trying to control it, Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth”.
Beforehand, the Zamzam spring was blocked during the time of the Prophet’s grandfather, Abdulmuttalib.
In his dream, Abdulmuttalib received an order to re-dig the well.
After finding a closed Zamzam spring, he dug it and started pumping it again for the pilgrims.
Maintaining the Zamzam well became the responsibility of the family of Abdulmuttalib who inherited the duty to his son, Alabbas bin Abdulmuttalib.
Reporting by Indonesia Window