Over 2 million Muslims take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to fulfill the most arduous tenant of faith: Hajj. The other pillars of faith include but are not limited to: fasting during Ramadan, giving charity, believing the creed of God's Oneness, and praying 5 times a day.
They say that if you don't change your ways after performing Hajj then your Hajj wasn't accepted. Some people get a dream that their Hajj was approved--a sincere job well done, while others simply find themselves able to apply more of the religion in their daily lives.
This month of Dhul Hijja is well known to most Muslims because of it's relevance to the Prophet Muhammad's final sermon on Mount Arafat. The first ten days of Dhul Hijja are said to be the best in the whole year. One who fasts on the tenth day, also known as the Day of Arafat, is said to have all of his previous years of sin forgiven. As a result, many Muslims fast and some do so without knowing the significance.
When the pilgrims go back to their homeland, they are sure to bring back soveniers for their family and friends. Some gifts might include prayer beads, prayer rugs, scarves, skull-caps, and scents like ithaar. But almost surely they bring back a small tank- some times even in a large, emptied out Coke bottle - that is full of a special liquid substance. Inside is the blessed water of Zam Zam. The story goes that Prophet Abraham was ordered by God (Allah) to leave his wife Hagar and his infant son Ismael alone in the desert. While he was gone, the child became thirsty, Hagar ran back and forth seven times searching for water for her son. The baby cried and hit the ground with his foot (some versions of the story say that an angel scraped his foot or the tip of his wing along the ground), and water miraculously sprang forth. This source of water is today called the Well of Zamzam. (Wikipedia: Hajj)
This blog is going to expand on the stories of Zamzam and how it played into the medical world, the spiritual world, and historical figures.
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