NARRATED BY Tariq Hussain.
"We came here again to perform the Umrah, and I am reminded
of the wonders of Zam-zam. Let me go
back to how it all started:
"In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a
letter saying that Zam-zam water was not fit for drinking purposes. I immediately thought that this was just a form
of prejudice against the
Muslims and that since his statement was
based on the
assumption that since the Ka'aba was a shallow place (below sea
level) and located in the center of the city of Makkah, the waste water
of the city collecting through the drains fell into well holding the water. Fortunately, the news came to King Faisal's ears who got
extremely angry and decided to disprove the Egyptian doctor's provocative
statement. He immediately ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Water
Resources to investigate and send samples of Zam-zam water to European
laboratories for testing the water. The ministry then instructed the Jeddah Power and
Desalination Plant to carry out this task. It was here
that I was
employed as a desalting
engineer (chemical
engineer) to produce drinking water from sea water). I was chosen to carry out this assignment. At this stage, I
remember that I had no idea what the well holding the water looked like. I went
to Makkah and reported to the authorities at the Ka'aba explaining the purpose
of my visit. They deputized a man to give me whatever help was required.
When we reached the well, it was hard for me to believe that a pool of water,
more like a small pond, about
18 by 14 feet, was the well that
supplied millions of gallons of water every year to Hajjis ever since it came
into existence at the time of Hazrat Ibrahim A.S., many, many centuries ago."
"I started my investigations and took the dimensions of the
well. I asked the man
to show me
the depth of the well. First he took a shower and
descended into the water. Then he straightened
his body. I saw that the water level came up to just above his shoulders. His height was around five feet, eight inches. He then
started moving from one corner to the other in the well (standing all the while
since he was not allowed to dip his head into the water) in search of any inlet
or pipeline inside the well to see from where the water came in. However, the
man reported that he could not find any inlet or pipeline inside the well. I thought of another idea. The water could be withdrawn
rapidly with the help of a big transfer pump which was installed at the well
for the Zam-zam water storage tanks. In this way, the water level would drop
enabling us to locate the point of entry of the water. Surprisingly, nothing was observed during the pumping
period, but I knew that this was the only method by which you could find the
entrance of the water to the well. So I
decided to repeat the process. But this time I instructed the man to stand
still at one place and carefully observe any unusual thing happening inside the
well. After a while, he suddenly raised his hands and shouted;
"Alhamdullillah! I have found it. The sand is dancing beneath
my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of the well." He then moved around the well during the pumping period and
noticed the same phenomenon everywhere in the well. Actually the flow of water
into the well through the bed was equal at every point, thus keeping the level
of the water steady. After I finished my
observations I took the samples of the water for European laboratories to test."
"Before I left the Ka'aba, I asked the authorities about the
other wells around Makkah. I was told that these wells were mostly dry. When I
reached my office in Jeddah I reported my findings to my boss who listened
with great interest but made a
very irrational comment
that the Zam-zam well
could be internally
connected to the
Red Sea . How was it possible when Makkah is about 75 kilometers away
from the sea and the wells located before the city usually remains dry? The results of the water samples tested by
the European laboratories and the one we analysed in our own laboratory were
found to be almost identical. The difference between Zam-zam water and other water (city water)
was in the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was
slightly higher in Zam-zam water. This may be why this water refreshes tired Hajjis, but more significantly, the water contains fluorides that have an
effective germicidal action. Moreover,
the remarks of the European laboratories showed that the water was fit for drinking."
"Hence the statement made by the Egyptian doctor was proved
false. When this was reported to King Faisal he was extremely
pleased and ordered the contradiction of the report in the European Press. In a
way, it was a blessing that this study was undertaken to show the chemical
composition of the water. In fact, the more you explore, the more wonders
surface and you find yourself believing implicitly in the miracles of this
water that Allah bestowed as a gift on the faithful coming from far and
wide to the desert land for pilgrimage."
"Let me sum up some of the features of Zam-zam water; This well has never dried up. On the contrary it has always
fulfilled the demand for water. It has
always maintained the same salt composition and taste ever since it came into
existence. Its potability has always been universally recognised as pilgrims
from all over the world visit Ka'aba every year for Hajj and Umrah, but has
never complained about it. Instead, they have always enjoyed the water that
refreshes them. Water tastes different at different places. Zam-zam water's appeal has always been universal; This water has never been chemically treated or chlorinated
as is the case with water pumped into the cities. Biological growth and
vegetation usually takes place in most wells. This makes the water unpalatable
owing to the growth of algae causing taste and odor problems. But in the
case of the
Zam-zam water well, there wasn't any sign of
biological growth."
Centuries ago, Bibi
Hajra A.S. searched desperately for water in the hills of Safa and Marwa to
give to her newly born son Hazrat Ismail
A.S. As she ran from one place to
another in search of water, her child rubbed his feet against the sand. A pool
of water surfaced, and by the grace of Allah, shaped itself into a well which
came to be called Zam-zam water.
EDITED BY:
MALLAM KABEER M. ADAMU,
OFFICIAL REPORT DEPARTMENT,
CNA'S OFFICE,
NASS ABUJA.
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