Sarah Wonders

What is Zamzam water? I heard it has healing properties, is that really true?

Dear Sarah,
Zamzam is a well in Makkah that sprang 4000 years ago when Ishmael the son of Abraham and Hagar pounded the ground with his feet out of thirst while his mother Hagar was running in the desert looking for water for her crying infant.

Allaah sent the Archangel Gabriel who let the water spring under the feet of Ishmael. And ever since, the water has been springing.

Scientifically, Zamzam water has some chemical properties and minerals that make it unique.

In 1983, the Journal of the New England Water Works Association published a paper stating that “A total of 34 elements have been found with calcium, magnesium, sodium, and chloride in the highest concentrations.

Hydrochemical study of Zamzam water indicates that it is a sodium chloride water and of meteoritic origin. The four toxic elements arsenic, cadmium, lead, and selenium have been found below the danger level of human consumption.”

Zamzam water is still water, but is very unique.

The Prophet (P.B.U.H.) told the Muslims that Zamzam water is a food for those who seek food, and a remedy for those who seek remedy.

Yours in humanity,
I-MAG Team

I noticed that a girl in my school isn’t eating or drinking at recess, and when I asked her if she was alright she said that it is Rama’daan and she is fasting. Could you please explain?

Dear Sarah,
The concept of fasting, Sarah, is so engrained in the human conscious that we talk about it almost every day when your mother and mine get up in the wee hours of each morning to prepare breakfast. Got it? Break-fast!

Fasting is, first and foremost, an act of pure piety. It is a form of worship that is entirely private; no body can tell if you sip a drop of water while washing your face, if you decide not to uphold the fast.

Muslims, such as the girl you talk about, fast from sunrise to sunset during the entire period of the ninth month of the lunar calendar; this month is called Rama’daan. Fasting includes abstaining from eating and drinking, in addition to other restrictions that apply only to adults.

Muslims fast during the month of Rama’daan, which is mandatory, and throughout the year, but this is voluntary, for four main reasons. First, they obey the command of Allaah to fast. Second, they continue the ancient tradition of fasting that was part of earlier faiths, which serves to celebrate the Oneness of God. Third, they practice self-discipline. And forth, they partake in the welfare of their societies by sharing the pains of hunger and thirst and discomfort, with those who have not, albeit temporarily.

Rama’daan is a month of celebration; celebration of spiritual clarity and pure piety; of humility and compassion; and of voluntary and individually bowing to the will of Allaah.

Yours in humanity,
I-MAG Team

I frequently hear Muslims say “in shaa- Allaah.” What does it mean? Is it a way to put someone off or eluding a responsibility?

Dear Sarah,

“In shaa- Allaah” literally means “If Allaah wills.” In contrast to what you think, in shaa- Allaah is a sort of pledge; the speaker when following his/her promise by in shaa- Allah, he/she means that “I’ll totally ready to do it unless a God-brought barrier comes in my way.” The frequent use of the phrase reveal the deep faith that no matter how well you plan, there is always a divine course of action that can intervene and you should take into consideration.

Some people also use other variations of this such as “if Allaah kept us alive”, which means I’ll do it unless I die, it does not mean that the person feels that he/she is going to die, the speaker is just acknowledging his/her deep faith as well as his/her deep commitment to the task.

To your surprise, in some Gulf countries, in shaa- Allaah means “yes sir” or “yes ma’am” if said in a certain intonation. It can also mean “I’ll do it with pleasure” if said in another intonation.

Its ubiquitous appearance might have made some people take it lightly, but misuse I always there in all languages, cultures, and religions.

Yours in humanity,
I-MAG Team.

I recently learnt that the Prophet of Islaam, Mu’hammad, married a nine-year old girl, exactly my age. I cannot possibly imagine a girl my age getting married. Isn’t this wrong?

Sarah, you are a smart girl, because when you don’t understand something, you ask.

My great grandmother, Sarah, was married when she was eleven years old. She was very young indeed. Wasn’t she?

I have to admit that when I first learnt this I was appalled, possibly because I was almost eleven when my grandmother told us. My grandmother explained to me that every young woman from her mother’s generation were married between the ages of eleven to twelve.

This was during the later part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century. A woman was considered a spinster then, my grandmother told me, if she reached the age of eighteen without getting married.

This really got me thinking about whether ‘Aa-ishah (the nine-year old wife of the Prophet) was an exception in the sense that she was betrothed (engaged) too young in comparison to her contemporary brides.

I found out, to my surprise, that many a woman was betrothed in Arabia between the ages of six to ten, before and after Islaam. This was common due to the fact that life expectancy of women at that time was relatively short, so they married as early as possible to have as many children as possible.

Three of the Prophet’s four daughters were betrothed before the age of ten, and this took place before Islaam. His fourth daughter was married at eighteen after Islaam. There are numerous records of other women who were also married very young, both before and after Islaam.

The bottom line at that time was that whenever a girl became pubescent, then she would be wedded. Historical records show that the first betrothal for young women in Arabia – at the advent of Islaam – took place when their age was six to ten years.

‘Aa-ishah was undoubtedly very young when she married the Prophet. She was not, however, an exception. That was the norm then.

Yours in Humanity,
I-MAG Team

What does the word ‘Allah’ or ‘Allaah’ mean?

Dear Sarah,

To begin with, “al” in Arabic means “the” and “ilaah” means God. In Arabic the definite article “the” is a part of the word and is not a separate part of it as in English, so when putting the two words together “al” and “ilaah” we get the word “Allah” or “Allaah” which mean the God.

The “i”, the first letter of “ilaah” has been omitted to facilitate the pronunciation. Note that the “l” in Allaah is a dark one.

Now you must be wondering, what is the difference between the words “Allaah” and “Allah”, it’s simply a matter of spelling; the spelling “Allah” is more common, but in I-MAG we adopt the spelling “Allaah” as it represents the true pronunciation of the word in standard Arabic.

It is note worthy that there are two pronunciations of the word, one is a colloquial one to which the spelling “Allah” might be more suitable, and a standard and more correct pronunciation that the spelling “Allaah” best represent.

Yours in humanity,
I-MAG Team