Zam Zam water research by Tariq Hussain‏

We came here again to perform the Omrah, and I am reminded of the
wonders of Zum-zum. Let me go back to how it all started.

In 1971, an Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying
that Zum-zum 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 Zum-zum 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 my
purpose of visit.

They deputed 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 The water could be withdrawn rapidly with the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
Zum-zum 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, "Alhamdollillah! I have found
it.The sand is dancing beneath my feet as the water oozes out of the bed of
the well."

Then he 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 Zum-zum well could beinternally 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 Zum-zum water and other water (city water) was in
the quantity of calcium and magnesium salts. The content of these was
slightly higher in Zum-zum 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 it 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 Zum-zum 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.

Zum-zum 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 Zum-zum water well, there wasn't any sign
of biological growth. Centuries ago, Bibi Hajra A.S. searched
desperately for water in the hills of Sufwa and Murwa 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 Zum-zum water.