Al-Huda
Foundation, NJ U. S. A
the Message Continues ... 9/106
Newsletter for June 2010
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The Miracle of Zum Zum Water!
Research by Tariq Hussain and Moin Uddin Ahmed
Come the Hajj season, and I am reminded of the wonders of Zumzum
water. Let me go back to how it all started. In 1971, an
Egyptian doctor wrote to the European Press, a letter saying
that Zumzum 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
wastewater 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 Zumzum water to
European laboratories for testing the portability of the water.
The ministry
then instructed the Jeddah Power and Desalination Plants 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 hajis 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
Zumzum 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 Zumzum 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 analyzed in our own laboratory were found to be
almost identical.
The difference
between Zumzum water and other water (city water) was in the
quantity of calcium and magnesium salts.
The content of
these was slightly higher in Zumzum water. This may be why this
water refreshes tired hajjis, but more significantly, the water
contained 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 God
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 Zumzum 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
portability has always been universally recognized as pilgrims
from all over the world visit Ka’aba every year for Hajj and
umrah, but have never complained about it. Instead, they have
always enjoyed the water that refreshes them. Water tastes
different at different places.
Zumzum 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 Zumzum water well, there wasn’t any sign of
biological growth. Centuries ago, Hagar (raa) searched
desperately for water in the hills of Safa and Marwa to give to
her newly born son Ismail (pbuh) 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 God,
shaped itself into a well which came to be called Zumzum water.
courtesy:
M. Owais
Jafrey
owaisjafrey.blogspot.com
http://alaqreba.com/
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