Zamzam water: food and cure

In the Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Allah’s Messenger, Muhammad, (PBUH), described the water of the well of Zamzam, saying:
((It is blessed! It is a kind of food)) [Muslim]

and in another narration by Al-Bazzar on authority of Abi Tharr:
((and cure for illness. )) [An-Athar]

Narrated Ibn Jouraij, may Allah have mercy on him:
((I have heard that it is said: ‘The best water in the earth is Zamzam water.)) [an athar]

Narrated Jabir Ibn Abdullah: I heard Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), say:

((Zamzam water is (proper) for whatever (purpose) it is drunk for )) [narrated by Al-Hakem in Al-Mustadrak]

Ad-Darqatni added in his Sunan on authority of Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, that Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), added:
((So, if you drink it in order to be cured of illness, Allah cures you; if you drink it in order to satisfy your appetite, Allah satisfies you appetite for you; and if you drink it in order to quench your thirst, Allah quenches your thirst for you. It was dug up by Gabriel and provided by Allah to Ishmael to drink))

Narrated Ibn Majah in Al-Manasik on authority of Muhammad Ibn Abdurrahman Ibn Abi Bakr: I was sitting with Ibn ‘Abbas when a man came to him. He (Ibn ‘Abbas) asked, “Where are you coming from” “From Zamzam.” The man answered. Ibn ‘Abbas asked, “Did you drink of it as properly as you should?” The man asked, “How?” Ibn ‘Abbas said: “When you drink of it, you should direct your face towards the Kiblah (the Ka’bah in Mecca), you should mention Allah’s Name (before you start drinking it), you should stop three times (while drinking it) in order to breathe, you should drink of it as much as fills your body, and, once you have finished drinking, you should extol Praises of Allah, All Mighty. This is because Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), said:
((The mark of difference between us and the hypocrites is that they do not drink of Zamzam as much as fills their bodies.[6]))

In fact, the Prophet’s venerable Companions, the Tabi’is (the Muslim generation following that of the Prophet’s Companions), lots of Muslim scholars, and lots of common Muslims have been very careful to drink of Zamzam as much as fills their bodies, saying certain wishes and invocations, because supplication is desirable upon drinking of Zamzam water, and because, as mentioned above, Zamzam water is proper for whatever purpose it is drunk for. In the same context, it was narrated that whenever Jabir drank of Zamzam water, he would invoke: “O Allah! I drink it for the thirst of the Day of Resurrection.”

It was also related that whenever the venerable Companion, Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, drank of Zamzam water, he would invoke: “O Allah! I beseech You (to grant me) useful knowledge, vast provision, and safety from all illnesses.” In the same context, some religious scholars said: “Zamzam water is the best, noblest, purest, most honored, most estimated (by Muslims), most beloved (to Muslims), most precious (to Muslims) and most expensive of all waters.”

By the way, the foregoing quotations have been taken from true Prophetic Sunna and Tradition as well as authentic religious relics. But what is there in science and its accurate research about Zamzam water? In 1973 and 1989, great international specialized chemical companies carried out very accurate chemical analyses of Zamzam water. The results were amazing, because it was found out that Zamzam water was absolutely free from all kinds of germs or viruses that cause water contamination.

In general, water is considered as mineral and, therefore, sells best if the rate of minerals therein is from 150 to 350 mg/liter. As for Zamzam water, the rate of minerals is 2000 mg/liter. The most remarkable minerals in Zamzam water are: Calcium, Sodium, Magnesium, and Potassium, among sh3er. Zamzam water is considered as the richest of all waters of the world in Calcium. The rate of Calcium in Zamzam water is 200 mg/liter. Undoubtedly, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), speaks the truth as he says,

((It is blessed! It is a kind of food.))

Modern scientific research has shown that the rate of heart and artery diseases is lower in those who drink such mineral waters as Zamzam. Once again, Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), speaks the truth as he describes Zamzam water as
((cure for illness))

Water is considered as mineral and digestive if it contains more than 250 grams of bi-carbonates per liter. The most famous mineral water in the world is that of the spring of Ivian (France), in which the rate of bi-Carbonates is 357 mgs/liter. As for Zamzam water, the rate of bi-Carbonates is 366 mgs/liter. Yes, indeed! Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), speaks the truth as he says,
((Zamzam water is (proper) for whatever (purpose) it is drunk for.))

In a book published in 1995, medical scientists say that mineral water is useful for the treatment of a lot of diseases such as rheumatism, hyper-acidity of the stomach, chronic diarrhea, and indigestion, among sh3er. Mineral water also has diuretic and laxative effects, and it is very useful for the treatment of deficiency of minerals in the body. Yes, indeed! Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), speaks the truth as he says,
((So, if you drink it in order to be cured of illness, Allah cures you; if you drink it in order to satisfy your appetite, Allah satisfies you appetite for you; and if you drink it in order to quench your thirst, Allah quenches your thirst for you.))

In fact, Zamzam water is not sweet but rather slightly salt and, therefore, undesirable; and Muslims drink it only because they firmly believe that it is holy and blessed and that filling one’s body with it is the token of true Faith.
Perhaps, Allah, All Mighty, has not made Zamzam water sweet and tasty so that its sweetness and deliciousness may not distract Muslims from its holiness and blessedness or from the fact that drinking it is a kind of worship. However, Zamzam water is not unpalatable, and its taste is not unacceptable. Yes, indeed! Allah’s Messenger, (PBUH), speaks the truth as he says,
((The mark of difference between us and the hypocrites is that they do not drink of Zamzam as much as fills their bodies))

Now, the question is: Which highly advanced scientific establishments were at the Prophet’s time to give him such amazing information about Zamzam water? Which highly specialized medical research centers attained such astoundingly accurate knowledge about this water? Which gigantic chemical labs analyzed this water, calculated most accurately the rates of minerals and bi-carbonates in it, and helped Prophet Muhammad, (PBUH), to provide such amazingly accurate information about this blessed water? It is, indeed, Allah’s Divine Revelation! It is by no means the Prophet’s human words! It is, undoubtedly, Divine Revelation!
The well-known religious scholar and Imam, Ibn Al-Qayyim, said: “I have tried, among sh3er, to seek medical cures from Zamzam water; and I have got really amazing benefits, as it has cured me of several illnesses by Allah’s Leave. I saw people who remained about a fortnight or more fed only with Zamzam water; and they did not feel hungry or tired, but went on going round the Ka’bah like other people. Some even informed me that they remained for forty days fasting and breaking the fast with Zamzam water alone, with no other kind of food, and that they were able to go round the Ka’bah several times.”
We beseech the Lord, Allah, All Mighty, to provide us from the water of the Fountain of his Prophet, Muhammad, (PBUH), on the Day of Resurrection, the Day of the Greatest Thirst, a drink after which we never get thirsty again!
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of Creations