Prophet’s (PBUH) grandfather and the well of Zamzam

Abdul Muttalib’s father, Hashim, married Salma and spent a few days at the house of his father in law in Yathrib (the ancient name of Madinah). Then he left Madinah for a business trip to Syria while his wife, Salma, was pregnant. Hashim never returned from that trip. He fell severely ill and passed away in Gaza. Salma gave birth to Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet (PBUH). The infant was named Shayba (white-haired) because of the white hair on his head. The boy was raised entirely by his mother in Yathrib until he became seven or eight years old. One day, a group of boys were competing in an archery match in Madinah. There was a boy among them; whenever he hit the target, he would proclaim proudly, ‘I am the son of Hashim; I am the son of the leader of Makkah.’ A traveller witnessed this. Upon hearing this proud proclamation, he informed Muttlib (the younger brother of Hashim and the uncle of Shayba) of the matter and said that a boy of such intelligence and nobility should not be left to grow up away from his ancestral home. When Muttalib knew the matter of Shaybah, he became very eager to bring his nephew to Makkah. When Muttalib approached Madinah, he found a group of boys playing and practising archery. He discovered his nephew immediately because they resembled his late brother, Hashim. Muttalib’s eyes filled with tears. He moved quickly in an emotional state and ran to the boy, wept, embraced him and kissed him. Then Muttalib took off a fine yaminite garment and wrapped it around the boy as a quester of honour and love. He requested his brother’s wife (Salma Bint Umor) explicitly to take the boy back to Makkah. Salma refused the request. Muttalib argued that the boy was growing up away from his father’s people, who were the custodians of Ka'ba, and he was the rightful heir to Hashim’s high status and leadership in Makkah. Salma realised that staying in Madinah would deprive the boy of his leadership in Makkah. Finally, she relented. Muttalib departed with the boy riding behind him on his camel. When Muttalib (uncle of Abdul Muttalib) was returning from Madinah with his nephew Shaybah, the people of Makkah wondered at seeing Shaybah (Abdul Muttalib), and they considered him the slave of Muttalib. Thus, Shaybah became known as Abdul-Muttalib (the slave of Muttalib). The people of Makkah considered Shaybah as (Abdul Muttalib) the ‘slave of Muttalib’ because it was a common practice of Arabs; when a wealthy merchant returned from a long journey with a young and unknown boy riding behind him, it always meant he had bought a new slave. The people of Makkah shouted as ‘Abdul Muttalib’ and named the boy ‘the slave of Muttalib', assuming mistakenly; thus, the boy became known as Abdul Muttalib.

Abdul Muttalib grew up in Uncle Muttalib’s house, received proper education and became a fully mature young man. His noble uncle passed away years later during a regular business trip to Yemen. After the death of Muttalib, Abdul Muttalib took over the family duties and official responsibilities of Makkah, including Rifadah (providing food) and Saqiyah (providing water) to pilgrims, and established himself as the chief of the Hashim clan.
Abdul Muttalib got married, and his wife gave birth to Harith, his firstborn son. Harith grew up quickly and became his father’s loyal assistant. Abdul Muttalib experienced a series of divine dreams during his sleep near the Ka’ba. He saw over four consecutive nights that he was being instructed to uncover the long-lasted well of Zamzam. Here, we will digress a bit from our main discussion to talk about the greatness of the well of Zamzam, a blessed well which he finally uncovered after a long time.  
It is known to Muslims that the Zamzam Well is the source of the best water in the world. It is a great favour of Allah (SWT) for mankind. Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Ra) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "The best water on the face of the earth is the water of Zamzam; it is a kind of food and a healing from sickness.” (Mu’jam Al-Kabir: 11011). The water of Zamzam quenches the thirst of the people, and at the same time it cures the sick. According to another narration, the water of Zamzam serves whatever purpose and intention for which it is drunk. Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Ra) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said, "Zamzam water is what one intends to drink it for. When one drinks it to be healed, Allah heals him; when one drinks it to be full, Allah makes him full; and when one drinks it to quench his thirst, Allah quenches it.” (Mustadrak Hakim: 1673)
The miraculously generated well Zamzam is located within the Masjid A-Haram. It was first created by the divine intervention of Allah when Ibrahim (PBUH) left his wife Hajarah and his infant son Ismayeel (PBUH) in the uninhabited valley of Makkah. When the baby Ismayeel (PBUH) cried with thirst, his mother, Hajarah, desperately ran seven times between the Safa and Marwa (two blessed hills) looking for water. Allah sent Angel Jibrayeel, who scraped the ground with his heel, causing the miraculous spring to gush forth. This is the well of Zamzam today. It played a vital role as the only source of water for local residents and pilgrims who would come to perform Hajj from across the world. However, over time, the Jurhum tribe grew corrupt, mismanaging the sanctuary and exploiting pilgrims. The blessed well Zamzam was covered and completely hidden for several centuries before the birth of the Prophet (PBUH).   No one in Makkah knew where the well was. The people of Makkah had to rely on hauling water from outside the city to survive. Before the birth of the Prophet’s (PBUH) father, Abdullah, Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of our beloved Prophet (PBUH), was instructed to uncover the well by a series of divine dreams.

The writer is Khatib of Baitush Shafiq Mosque and Principal of Baitul Hikmah Academy, Gazipur