The First Days in the Desert: Hājar and Ismāʿīl in the Valley of Makkah (UK Guide)

Hājar and Ismāʿīl in the valley of Makkah — the founding moment of the Sacred City

One of the most consequential moments in the entire prophetic line happened in a barren valley with no people, no water and no shelter. Prophet Ibrāhīm ﷺ, by Allah\'s command, left his Egyptian wife Hājar and their infant son Ismāʿīl ﷺ alone in what would become Makkah — a valley where no human had ever lived. The first days in the desert that followed are preserved in the most authentic narration in the Sunni tradition (Bukhari 3364) and form the foundational story of Hajj, of the Zamzam well, and ultimately of the Quraysh tribe and the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

This guide tells the story carefully and draws out what it means for British Muslim families.

The setting

Ibrāhīm ﷺ and Sārah, his first wife, had been childless for many years. Sārah had given Ibrāhīm her Egyptian maidservant Hājar so that he might have a son through her. Hājar bore him Ismāʿīl. After tensions developed in the household, Allah commanded Ibrāhīm to take Hājar and the infant Ismāʿīl far away — to the barren valley of Makkah, hundreds of miles from any settled community.

The journey from the Levant to Makkah would have taken weeks. When they arrived, the valley was empty. There was no water in sight, no people, no shelter. Ibrāhīm placed a small bag of dates and a skin of water with Hājar and turned to leave.

Hājar\'s question

The hadith preserved by Bukhari describes the moment with remarkable precision. As Ibrāhīm walked away, Hājar called after him: "O Ibrāhīm, where are you going? Are you leaving us in this valley where there is no person and no thing?" She repeated the question several times. Ibrāhīm did not turn around. Then she asked: "Did Allah command you to do this?" He replied: "Yes."

Her response is one of the great single statements of trust in the entire prophetic line: "Then He will not abandon us."

For British Muslim mothers raising children in difficult circumstances, particularly single mothers, Hājar\'s words are foundational. They are the bedrock of Muslim tawakkul. When the human support has gone and only Allah remains, Hājar\'s response is the model.

The first days alone

Hājar nursed Ismāʿīl from her own milk and drank from the water skin. After a few days the water ran out. Her milk dried up. Ismāʿīl began to cry from thirst. The infant was visibly suffering.

The seven runs between Ṣafā and Marwah

Hājar climbed the small hill of Ṣafā and looked across the valley for any sign of water or other people. She saw nothing. She descended into the valley, ran across the lower section (where the floor was depressed and she had to run faster to maintain her view), and climbed the hill of Marwah opposite. From Marwah she scanned the horizon again. Nothing. She descended back into the valley and ran to Ṣafā again. Then back to Marwah. Then back to Ṣafā. Seven times in total, alternating between the two hills.

Every Muslim performing Hajj or ʿumrah today walks (or runs) between Ṣafā and Marwah seven times — the saʿy ritual — commemorating Hājar\'s search. Two million pilgrims annually retrace her steps. The Prophet ﷺ said: "This is the running of mothers" — preserving forever the memory of what one mother did for her dying child in an empty valley.

The water

When she returned exhausted to Marwah for the seventh time, she heard a voice. She looked towards her child. The angel Jibrīl (or in some narrations the angel was striking the ground with his heel near the infant) had caused water to gush forth from the earth at Ismāʿīl\'s feet. Hājar ran to the water and tried to contain it with sand, saying "zummī, zummī" ("collect, collect") — and the well of Zamzam was named.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ismāʿīl. Had she let it flow without containing it, Zamzam would have been a flowing spring." Her instinct to contain the water — born of a mother\'s desperation not to lose what she had finally received — gave Zamzam its enduring character as a well rather than an open spring.

Zamzam has flowed continuously for approximately 4,000 years. Hundreds of millions of pilgrims have drunk from it. British Muslim families who perform ʿumrah today drink the same water that Hājar gave her infant son.

The arrival of the Banū Jurhum

Some time later — the classical sources are not specific about how long — a tribe of Arabs called the Banū Jurhum was passing through the area. They saw birds circling above the valley, recognised this as a sign of water (which they knew was not present in that valley), and sent scouts to investigate. They found Hājar and Ismāʿīl with the well. They asked permission to settle near the water; Hājar agreed but made clear that the water belonged to her and her son.

The Banū Jurhum settled. Other tribes followed. Within a generation, what had been an empty valley became a small settlement around the well. Within several generations, it became Makkah — the most important religious centre of Arabia and ultimately the qiblah of the global Muslim community.

Ismāʿīl grows up among the Arabs

Ismāʿīl ﷺ grew up among the Banū Jurhum, learned their Arabic, and married into the tribe. From his line came the entire Arab branch of the prophetic family — and ultimately, fourteen generations later, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Arabness of the Prophet ﷺ\'s lineage flows through Ismāʿīl, and the Arabness of Ismāʿīl\'s upbringing flows through the Banū Jurhum who arrived because Hājar\'s well drew them.

The building of the Kaʿbah

Years later, Ibrāhīm ﷺ returned to visit his grown son Ismāʿīl. Together they built (or rebuilt) the Kaʿbah — the cubical building at what would become the centre of the Sacred Mosque. Their du\'ā as they built is preserved in Surah Al-Baqarah 2:127-128: "Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the Hearing, the Knowing."

The Kaʿbah they built has been the qiblah of every Muslim prayer for over four thousand years and has been completely rebuilt several times across history — but always on the same foundation laid by Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl in that originally empty valley.

What this story means for British Muslim families

1. Allah does not abandon those who trust Him

Hājar\'s words — "Then He will not abandon us" — are the foundation of Muslim tawakkul. British Muslim mothers raising children in difficult circumstances have direct prophetic precedent.

2. The smallest beginnings produce the greatest outcomes

An empty valley with one woman and one infant became the centre of a global religion of 1.9 billion people. British Muslim families building small institutions, small businesses, small charitable projects should not despair at small starts. Allah\'s plan operates through tiny seeds.

3. The mother\'s effort is honoured forever

Two million pilgrims annually walk Hājar\'s steps. Her seven runs in the valley are preserved as a permanent ritual of Hajj. British Muslim families should know — what mothers do for their children, even in apparent obscurity, is recorded with Allah and may produce consequences for centuries.

4. The Egyptian connection is in the foundations of Islam

Hājar was Egyptian. Maria the Copt was Egyptian. The two Egyptian women in the prophetic family produced — between them — Ismāʿīl (whose line led to the Prophet ﷺ) and Ibrāhīm (the Prophet ﷺ\'s son). For British Egyptian Muslim families, the connection is direct.

5. Containing what you have is part of receiving more

Hājar contained the water with sand. The Prophet ﷺ noted this as the act that gave Zamzam its enduring character as a well. The lesson: when Allah gives you something — wealth, knowledge, opportunity — care for it carefully rather than letting it flow away unmanaged.

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

For more on the family of Ibrāhīm, see our guides on Prophet Ibrāhīm, Lady Sārah, Lady Hājar, and Maria the Copt. For the city that grew from this valley, see our Cradle of Islam (Makkah) guide. To study the Quranic verses on Hājar and Ibrāhīm, book a free trial lesson.