Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Sahihah

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade drinking water while standing.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "No one should drink water while standing."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) says: We used to call (Zamzam) «شباعه» "the one that fills," and we used to find it the best helper for our families (in matters of food and drink).

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “(The water of Zamzam) is blessed, it is food that satisfies hunger.” This hadith is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr and Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them). This is the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: We set out as a delegation from our tribe Ghifar, who used to consider the sacred months lawful. I (Abu Dharr), my brother Anis, and my mother set out, and we stayed with our maternal uncle. He honored us greatly and treated us kindly, but his people became jealous of us. So they said: When you go out from your family, Anis comes to them. So our uncle came and began to backbite us regarding what was said to him. I said to him: The kindness you did to us, you have now spoiled it, and from now on we will not come to you. We reached our camels, mounted them, and set off. My uncle covered himself with a cloth and began to weep. We kept going and camped near Makkah. Anis began to stay away from our camels. Both of them went to a soothsayer, who chose Anis, so Anis came to us with our camels and some more camels. He said: O my nephew! I have been praying for three years before meeting the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). I said: For whom? He said: For Allah, the Exalted. I said: Which direction did you face? He said: Whichever direction my Lord turned me. I used to pray ‘Isha in the last part of the night. Now I lay down, lost in thought, until the sun rose. Anis said: I have some work in Makkah, so take care of things for me. Anis left, reached Makkah, and repaid my good with evil. Then he returned. I asked: What did you do there? He said: I met a man in Makkah who is upon your religion; he claims that Allah has sent him. I said: What do people say about him? He said: People call him a poet, a soothsayer, and a magician. Anis himself was a poet. He said: But I have heard the words of soothsayers and compared his words to the words of eloquent poets, but no one’s speech can judge that (the words of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) are poetry. By Allah! He is truthful and the people are liars. I said: Now take care of things for me, so that I may go and see (what the real matter is). I reached Makkah and asked one of their weak men: Where is the man whom you call irreligious? He pointed at me and said: This is the irreligious one. (Upon hearing this) the people of the valley attacked me with clods of earth and bones. I fell unconscious. When I regained consciousness and got up, it seemed as if I was a red stone. I came to the water of Zamzam, washed off the blood, drank its water, and O my nephew! I stayed there for thirty days, and I had no food except the water of Zamzam. By drinking it, I kept getting fatter (i.e., it fulfilled my need for food) and the folds of my stomach disappeared. I did not feel any weakness due to hunger. (Days passed and) one day in Makkah, it was a moonlit night and the sky was clear. Suddenly, they heard a voice that no one should circumambulate the Ka’bah, and two women were calling upon Isaf and Na’ila. He said: They passed by me during the circumambulation. I said: Marry one to the other. But they did not desist from their words. (During another round) they passed by me again. I said: They are like pieces of wood, and I did not speak metaphorically. Both of them screamed and went away saying: If only someone from our group were here! He said: Meanwhile, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) were coming down (from a height) in front of them. He said: What is the matter with you? They said: Between the Ka’bah and its curtains is an irreligious man. He said: What did he say to you? They said: He said something that fills the mouth. At that moment, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived, touched the Black Stone, and he and his companion circumambulated the Ka’bah and then prayed. When they finished the prayer, Abu Dharr said: I was the first person to greet them with the greeting of Islam and said: O Messenger of Allah! Peace be upon you. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “And upon you be the mercy of Allah.” Then he said: “Who are you?” I said: I am from the tribe of Ghifar. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) lowered his hand and placed his finger on his forehead. I thought to myself that perhaps he disliked my attribution to Ghifar. I wanted to take his hand, but his companion stopped me, and he knew him better than I did. Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) raised his head and asked: “Who was feeding you?” I said: I had no food except the water of Zamzam. By drinking it, I kept getting fatter and the folds of my stomach disappeared, and I did not feel any weakness due to hunger. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “This water is blessed, and it is food that satisfies hunger.” Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah! Allow me, tonight I will feed him. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) set off, and I went with them. Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) opened the door and began to bring dates from Ta’if. This was the first food I ate, and some was left over. Then I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: “A land of date palms has been made subservient to me; I think it is Yathrib (Madinah). Will you convey my message to your people? Perhaps Allah will benefit them through you, and you will also be rewarded because of them.” I went to Anis. He asked: What did you do? I said: I have accepted Islam and affirmed it. He said: I do not turn away from your religion; I have also submitted and affirmed it. Then we went to our mother. She said: I do not turn away from your religion either; I have also believed and become Muslim. We mounted and reached our tribe Ghifar. Half the tribe became Muslim. Ima bin Rahdah Ghifari, who was their chief, used to lead them in prayer. And half the tribe said: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) comes to Madinah, we will also become Muslim. So when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Madinah, those people from the other half of the tribe also became Muslim. The people of the tribe of Aslam came and said: O Messenger of Allah! We become Muslim upon what our brothers became Muslim. Then they became Muslim, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The tribe of Ghifar—may Allah forgive them, and the tribe of Aslam—may Allah keep them safe.”