The history of Zam Zam water starts around 2000 BC when Hajira (Hagar) the wife of Prophet Abraham was abandoned in the desert of Mecca with her child, Ismail (Ishmael). In her desperate search for water for her thirsty son she ran seven times to and fro between the hills of Safa and Marwa. When God saw her desperation and the plight of her baby He blessed an area of land where Ismail was rubbing his heels and crying, Out of the earth a spring of water spurted and the distraught mother gave it to her thirsty child. The flow of the water would not stop and Hajira said 'Zome Zome' which translated means stop flowing. This is how it came to be know an Zam Zam.
The Kaabah which is central to the pilgrimage in Mecca is located close to the well of Zam Zam and the running from the hills of Safa and Marwa is still part of the rituals performed in the pilgrimage by millions of Muslims every year. The ritual is performed in memory of Hajira and the ordeal a mother had to undergo to quench her child's thirst.
Zam Zam water has been flowing in that area for thousands of years and the well from which it emerged is only 5 feet deep and yet continues to supply the water without running out. Another miraculous fact is that the Zam Zam water appeared in a desert in an area which did not give any indication of any water present. The wells around the same area in Mecca are dry but this particular well seems to have a constant supply of water available at all times. It shows no signs of drying up and neither does it give an indication of a source for this continued supply of water.
Scientists looking at the non porous, volcanic Meccan region where it was found find it hard to give concrete answers to its origins. It has been quenching the thirst of millions of pilgrims who visit Mecca during the pilgrimage every year for thousands of years and this is a miraculous thing indeed.
It is said to have thirst quenching properties which have been noticed by all the pilgrims who have tasted this water, both in our modern times and in the times when it was first discovered. In fact it is also said to relieve hunger and the Prophet Muhammed in several Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet) is related to have said that it can sustain a person's thirst and his hunger so it can serve both as food and water.
Zam Zam is also good for those who have illnesses and pilgrims bring it back with them for their friends and families. This could be because of the fluorides naturally present in this water which act as a germicide. Zam Zam water contains sodium, calcium, potassium and magnesium and trace elements like sulphur, nitrates and phosphates. These elements help in alleviating arthritis, rheumatism and certain skin conditions.
This water has also not been chemically treated like ordinary drinking water and yet no germs survive in it. It is also miraculous that despite being in a well there are no bacteria or algae growing in it. This has preserved the taste and smell of the Zam Zam water for thousands of years.