Drinking Zamzam Facing the Qiblah
Source: Fatāwā Amun Pūrī by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amun Pūrī
The Question
Is it Sunnah to drink Zamzam while facing the Qiblah?
The Answer
Yes, it is recommended (mustaḥabb) to drink Zamzam water while facing the Qiblah.
Report from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما
ʿAbdullāh ibn Abī Mulaykah رحمه الله narrated:
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما once asked me:
“Where have you come from?”
I replied: “From drinking Zamzam.”
He asked: “Did you drink it the way it should be drunk?”
I asked: “How should it be drunk?”
He said:
“When you drink Zamzam, face the Qiblah, say Bismillāh, drink it in three breaths, and drink to your fill. Then say al-ḥamdu lillāh. For the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
‘One of the signs between us and the hypocrites is that they do not drink Zamzam to their fill.’
(al-Sunan al-Kubrā, al-Bayhaqī: 9656, 9657 — sanad ḥasan)
Conclusion
- Facing the Qiblah, saying Bismillāh, drinking in three breaths, and drinking to one’s fill are recommended Sunnah etiquettes of drinking Zamzam.
- Praising Allah (al-ḥamdu lillāh) afterwards is also part of the Sunnah.
