Upon completing the seven rounds of the Tawaf; and after offering two rak’ahs by the Station of Ibrahim, it is encouraged to drink water from the well of Zamzam. Both Bukhari and Muslim confirm that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) drank the water of Zamzam and said, “It is blessed (water); it is food for the hungry, and a healing for the sick.” It is reported that the angel Jibreel washed the heart of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) with its water on the Night Journey.

A person drinking Zamzam water should intend and hope to be healed, and obtain its blessings and whatever is best for him in this life and in the Hereafter. It is desirable that one should drink Zamzam water in three breaths, face toward the Qiblah, drink as much as possible, and praise and thank and supplicate to Allah.

Elaborating more on the etiquettes of drinking Zamzam water, we will cite what Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq states in his well-known book, Fiqh As-Sunnah:

“A person drinking Zamzam water should intend and hope to be healed, and obtain its blessings and whatever is best for him in this life and in the Hereafter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The water of Zamzam is (good) for whatever it is intended for.”

Suwayd Ibn Sa`eed reported: “When the water of Zamzam was brought to `Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak I saw that he drank a little, then turning his face towards the Ka`bah supplicated, ‘O Allah! Ibn Abi Al-Mawali told us on the authority of Muhammad Ibn Al-Munkadir, who narrated from Jabir that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The water of Zamzam is good for whatever one intends (while drinking it).” I intend to drink this water to spare myself from being thirsty on the Day of Judgment.’ Then he drank the rest of the water.” (Reported by Al-Baihaqi, and Ahmad)

Ibn `Abbas reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “The water of Zamzam is good for whatever one intends (while drinking it). If you drink it seeking health, Allah will give you healing. If you drink it to satisfy your hunger, Allah will satisfy your hunger. If you drink it to quench your thirst, Allah will quench your thirst. Zamzam is a well dug by the angel Jibreel by which Allah quenched the thirst of Isma`il.” This was reported by Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim who added, “And if you drink it seeking refuge with Allah, Allah will grant you refuge.”

It is desirable that one should drink Zamzam water in three breaths, face toward the Qiblah, drink as much as possible, and praise and thank and supplicate to Allah as Ibn `Abbas did. Abu Mulaykah reported: “A man came to Ibn `Abbas. He asked the man, ‘Where are you coming from?’ The man replied: ‘I am coming from the well of Zamzam.’ Ibn `Abbas asked him, ‘Did you drink from it as you are supposed to?’ “The man asked: ‘O Ibn `Abbas, how am I supposed to drink it?’ Ibn `Abbas replied: ‘When you drink its water you should face the direction of the Qiblah, remember Allah, drink it in three breaths, drink as much as you can, and praise and thank Allah when you finish drinking.’ The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A major difference between us and the hypocrites is that they do not drink their fill of the water of Zamzam.” (Reported by Ibn Majah, Ad-Daraqutni and Al-Hakim)

Ibn `Abbas used to supplicate Allah, whenever he drank Zamzam water: “Allahumma inni as’aluka `ilman naïf`an wa rizqan wasi`an wa shifa’an min kuli da’in (O Allah! Grant me beneficial knowledge, bountiful provision, and a healing from every disease).”