From Mecca, 'the Drink of Life'

Muslims Bring Home Revered Zamzam Water After Annual Pilgrimage

It makes perfect sense to carry water to the desert.

But why would anyone take the trouble to bring some back?

If it is Zamzam water, the answer is 1,400 years old: Muslims returning from the hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, value it as a liquid memento from the holy city.

Once home, they drink it for its perceived curative powers and give small amounts -- along with dates -- to friends and relatives as a means of celebrating the completion of their journey.

They may even set aside some for their death, when it can be used as a final ablution and to wash the burial shroud.

"It's considered that it can give you health. So if you're sick or if you have problems, it can help," said Syed Siddiq, 50, of Basking Ridge, N.J., who recently returned from a three-week pilgrimage.

All Muslims with the means and health are required to undertake the hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam, at least once in their lives. Siddiq and his wife, Raheel, went on their first hajj with a group of 90 from the Islamic Society of Central Jersey.

Zamzam water comes from the Mecca valley in Saudi Arabia, site of the holy shrine toward which all Muslims face when they pray. Muslims believe that when Abraham followed God's orders and left his wife, Hagar, and infant son, Ishmael, he asked God for their protection. Desperate for water, Hagar ran seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwa. Her pleas for help were answered by the angel Gabriel, who scraped his heel in the sand (some say his wing) and uncovered a small spring.

The name Zamzam comes from Hagar's command that the water stop flowing, or "come together," said Hamad Chebli, imam of the Islamic Society. The spring was later converted to a well around which the trading city of Mecca grew.

The well is now controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia, whose Zamzam Studies and Research Center runs hydrologic tests to make sure the water remains safe and abundant. It is fed by an extensive aquifer.

Nearly 3 million pilgrims journey to Mecca each year in what is considered the largest annual gathering in the world. They make their journey during the 12th month of the Islamic lunar year. Once there, the faithful spend three days symbolically retracing the steps and actions of the prophets -- including throwing seven pebbles at the devil to reenact Hagar's seven runs between the two hills.

"You do get tired," said Uzma Mughal of Hopewell, N.J., who brought some Zamzam water back from her first -- and last -- hajj. She thinks that those who have completed the pilgrimage should avoid returning for several years. "Let other people go, so it isn't so crowded," she said.