Ibn ʿAbbās related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:

“May Allah have mercy on Ishmael’s mother! Had she left Zamzam”—or he said: “Had she not ladled from the water—Zamzam would have become a free-flowing spring.” (1)

She then drank and nursed her child. The angel said to her, “Do not fear loss (2), for here is the House of Allah; this boy and his father will build it, and Allah never neglects His own.” At that time the House rose above the ground like a hillock; seasonal torrents would come and pass it on the right and on the left.

They remained in that state until a caravan from the tribe of Jurhum—or a household of Jurhum—passed by on the route of Kadā’. They camped in the lower part of Mecca and noticed a bird hovering overhead (3). They said, “That bird is circling over water, yet we know this valley and it has never had water.” So they sent a scout (4); he found the water and returned to inform them, whereupon they all came.

Ibn ʿAbbās continued: Ishmael’s mother was sitting by the water when they arrived. They asked, “Will you allow us to settle near you?” She replied, “Yes, but you have no right to the water.” They answered, “Agreed.”

ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbbās added: The Prophet ﷺ said, “That pleased Ishmael’s mother, for she loved the company of people.”

So they settled there and summoned their families, who joined them until she had a community of households around her. The boy grew up, learned Arabic from them, mingled with them, and they admired him as he matured. When he reached manhood, they married him to one of their women.

Ishmael’s mother later died. After Ishmael had married, Abraham came to look into his affairs but did not find him. He asked Ishmael’s wife about him, and she said, “He has gone to seek provision for us.” He then asked her about their life and circumstances. She replied, “We are miserable—constricted and in hardship,” and she complained to him.

He said, “When your husband returns, convey my greetings to him and tell him to change the threshold of his door.” When Ishmael came, he sensed that something had happened and asked, “Did anyone visit you?” She said, “Yes, an old man of such-and-such appearance came. He asked about you and I informed him. He inquired about our life, and I told him we were in hardship and distress.” He asked, “Did he leave any advice?” She replied, “Yes. He told me to convey his greetings to you and to say: Change the threshold of your door.”

He said, “That was my father, and he has ordered me to part from you. Return to your family.” He divorced her and married another woman from among them, and Abraham stayed away as long as Allah willed.

Afterward Abraham came again but did not find Ishmael. He entered upon Ishmael’s wife and asked about him. She said, “He has gone to seek provision for us.” He asked, “How are you?” and questioned her about their livelihood and condition. She answered, “We are well and in ease,” and she praised Allah. He asked, “What is your food?” She said, “Meat.” He asked, “And what is your drink?” She said, “Water.” He prayed, “O Allah, bless them in their meat and in their water.”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “At that time they had no grain; had they possessed grain, he would have prayed for it as well. Thus, no one outside Mecca relies on meat and water alone without them proving unsuitable to him.”