Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was an old man when Allah granted him a son called Prophet Ismael (pbuh). He too was a prophet.

His mother Sayyida Hajira was also a very nice lady.

On the command of Allah, Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) took Sayyida Hajira and Prophet Ismail (pbuh) to Makkah. In this desert he left his wife and baby in the care of Allah and returned to his home in Palestine.

According to the Holy Qur'an, he prayed:

O our Allah! I have left part of my family in a valley where nothing grows, close to Your Holy House. Our Lord! This is so they can set up prayer. So make the hearts of the people kind towards them and provide them with fruits so that they may be grateful. (Quran 14:37)

Although Sayyida Hajira was alone in the desert, she had learnt from her husband to trust in Allah and be patient. She soon realized that she had run out of all their food and water and could no longer feed her baby. She went to look for water.

There were two hills called Safa and Marwa. She climbed up on the hill of Safa and looked around. She saw water and ran towards it until she reached the hill of Marwa, but there was no water there. Then she looked back again and saw water again. She again ran towards it until she reached Safa. She was seeing a Mirage. She ran back and forth seven times

Finally, she returned to her baby, disappointed. Suddenly, she saw that a stream of water was flowing out from where Prophet Ismael (pbuh) had struck the ground with his foot. She was very happy and drank her fill. The spring is still there and it is called Zam Zam.

Because of the spring of Zam Zam, many people came to live there and soon Makkah became the central of Arabia.