and called out, “O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no companion and nothing at all?” She repeated the question several times, but he did not turn toward her. She then asked, “Has Allah commanded you to do this?” He answered, “Yes.” She replied, “Then He will never abandon us.” She went back, while Abraham ﷺ continued on. When he reached al-Thaniyyah (1) and was out of their sight, he faced the direction of the House, raised his hands, and prayed:

“Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in a barren valley near Your Sacred House… so that they might be grateful.” (Surah Ibrahim 14:37)

The mother of Ishmael kept nursing him and drinking from the water, but when the water-skin was empty she became thirsty, and so did her son. She looked at him writhing—or, he said, flailing about—(2). Unwilling to watch him in that state, she set off. Safa was the nearest hill to her, so she climbed it, faced the valley, and looked to see whether she could spot anyone, but she saw no one. She descended from Safa, and when she reached the bottom of the valley she lifted the hem of her dress and hurried with the stride of an exhausted person (3) until she had crossed the valley. Then she came to Marwah and climbed it, looking to see whether she could spot anyone, but she saw no one. She did that seven times.

Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet ﷺ remarked, “That is the saʿy that people perform between the two hills.”

When she reached Marwah again she heard a sound and said, “Hush!”—speaking to herself—then she listened. She heard it once more and said, “You have been heard; if you have help to give, then help!” Suddenly she saw the angel at the place of Zamzam. He struck the ground with his heel—or, he said, with his wing—until water appeared. She began to form a basin around it (4) with her hands like this, scooping water into her water-skin while the spring kept bubbling after she scooped. In another narration: it bubbled only in proportion to what she scooped. Ibn ʿAbbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: The Prophet ﷺ said, “May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ishmael! Had she left Zamzam—or, he said, had she not scooped up the water—it would have become a flowing river.” (5)

He said: She drank