Hajj: A Commitment to Ultimate Sacrifice

you! If you have any help to give, please help us!” Then she saw an angel at the spot where Zamzam now stands. The angel struck the ground with his heel—or, as some narrations state, with his wing—until water began to flow forth. Hajar began to make a basin around it and scooped the water into her water skin as it continued to flow.” (Tafsir al-Qurtubi, Vol. 9, p. 369). (After the spring of Zamzam gushed forth in the barren valley of Makkah, the tribe of Jurhum settled there, and life gradually began to flourish.) Eventually, Prophet Isma’il married a woman from the Jurhum tribe, and later, his mother, Hajira, passed away. Subsequently, Prophet Ibrahim visited to check on those he had left behind. However, upon his arrival, he did not find Isma’il. Instead, he met his daughter-in-law and asked about Isma’il’s whereabouts. She replied, “He has gone to seek sustenance for us.” Prophet Ibrahim then inquired about their living conditions, to which she responded, “We are in a state of hardship, struggling with poverty and distress.” In other words, the woman expressed her dissatisfaction. Ibrahim said to her, “When your husband returns, convey my greetings to him and tell him to change the threshold of his door.” When Isma’il returned, he sensed something unusual and asked, “Did anyone visit us?” She replied, “Yes, an old man of such-and-such description came. He asked about you, and I informed him of our situation, mentioning that we are living in hardship and difficulty.” Isma’il asked, “Did he leave any advice for me?” She replied, “Yes, he told me to convey his greetings