Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
The blessings of Zamzam water is not affected if it is taken out of Al-Haram (the Sacred Precinct) and carried to another place.
Answering your question, Dr. Abdur-Rahman Al-Adawi, Professor at Al-Azhar University and member of the Islamic Research Academy in Cairo, states:
The Well of Zamzam is a blessing of Allah to Hajar and her son Isma`il. Allah rescued them from thirst and starvation through this well, which gushed forth from the earth beside [the future site of] Al-Haram, which was afterwards built by Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him), along with his son Isma`il, for whom the well flowed by Allah’s Grace to save him from dying of thirst.
The Well of Zamzam was the main reason that Makkah, the Sacred Town, later become inhabited. The tribe of Jurhum settled beside the well, and when Isma`il became of age, he married one of their women.
Hence, Makkah became inhabited, and going to it was dear to people’s hearts. And Allah provided them with good sustenance in answer to the duaa made by Prophet Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) when he left his wife Hajar and his son Isma`il in Makkah, in obedience to Allah’s order,
“Our Lord! Lo! I have settled some of my posterity in an uncultivable valley near unto Thy holy House, our Lord! that they may establish proper worship; so incline some hearts of men that they may yearn toward them, and provide Thou them with fruits in order that they may be thankful.” (Ibrahim 14: 37)
Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) talked about the blessings of Zamzam water saying: “The best water on earth is the water of Zamzam. It is a provision for the hungry and a cure for the sick.” (At-Tabarani)
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The water of Zamzam brings about fulfillment of the need for which it is drunk. If you drink it as a cure, Allah will cure you; if you take it to satisfy hunger, Allah will satisfy it for you; if you take it to satisfy your thirst, Allah will satisfy it for you. It (was dug by) Jibreel’s stroke on the earth; it was to satisfy Isma`il’s thirst by Allah’s Grace.” (Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim)
In another narration, it is mentioned, “If you take it for protection, Allah will grant you protection.”
It was also reported that when Ibn Abbas drank from the water of Zamzam, he used to pray: “O Allah! I ask you for useful knowledge, abundant sustenance, and cure from every disease.”
Finally, the blessing and virtue of Zamzam water is not affected if it is taken out of Al-Haram or carried to another place. It is reported that whenever Aishah went to Makkah, she used to take some Zamzam water with her to Madinah. However, good will, sincere dedication to Allah, and pure-heartedness are necessary so that one’s duaa can be accepted and so that one can accomplish the good things the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) promised to a person who drinks from Zamzam and makes du`a’ to Allah to fulfill his needs. Actually, Allah is All-Hearing and He accepts duaa.”
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.