came forth from the earth beneath her son. Some
accounts say that it was the angel gabriel who
actually opened the well head. In time, the well
fell into disuse and was forgotten. According to
Muslim accounts, Zamzam was rediscovered by
Muhammad’s grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, who
found precious golden objects and weapons in it.
These were removed and the well was reopened
for use by pilgrims. Providing water and food
to pilgrims, a prestigious service, remained the
monopoly of Muhammad’s family for generations
thereafter. In later centuries it became a lucrative
business for the Zamzamis, a class of water carri-
ers who served the needs of pilgrims.
Today Zamzam is no longer a well in the tra-
ditional meaning of the word. The government
of saUdi arabia has been engaged in significant
renovation and expansion projects through-
out the Haram area, including Zamzam. It has
installed pumps, filtering systems, and public
taps to make sure that Zamzam water is potable
and that it is readily available to the millions of
pilgrims who come to Mecca each year. Zamzam
water is bottled and distributed to pilgrims,
and there are even free Zamzam water dispens-
ers and public faucets at convenient locations
in and around the Sacred Mosque. To monitor
these efforts and help conserve the water sup-
ply, a Zamzam Studies and Research Center was
recently created under royal decree within the
Saudi Geological Survey.
Zamzam has also taken on modern commer-
cial and political significance. In 2002 an Iranian
soft drink company began to market a beverage
called Zamzam Cola. It became a popular drink
that year, especially among pilgrims in Mecca,
as an alternative to Pepsi and Coca-Cola. At the
time, many Muslims boycotted these drinks to
protest Israeli attacks against Palestinians and
the anticipated U.S. and British invasion of iraq,
which occurred in March 2003. In Saudi Arabia,
the government consulted with religious authori-
ties and decided to ban the import of the drink
because it felt that the commercial use of the
name zamzam was improper. The Iranian com-
pany continues to produce the beverage, how-
ever, and has distributed it as far away as Great
Britain.Further reading: G. R. Hawting, “The Disappearance
and Rediscovery of Zamzam and the Well of Mecca,”
Bulletin of the Society of Oriental and African Studies
43 (1980): 44–54; Muhammad ibn Ishaq, The Life of
Muhammad: A Translation of Ibn Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah.
Translated by Alfred Guillaume (Oxford: Oxford Uni-
versity Press, 1955); F. E. Peters, The Hajj: The Muslim
Pilgrimage to Mecca and the Holy Places (Princeton, N.J.:
Princeton University Press, 1994).Zaydi Shiism
Also known as Fiver Shiism, the Zaydi tradition
of shiism is today found mainly in yemen, where
Zaydis are estimated to be about 36 percent of
the population (Yemen’s total population was
estimated at 23 million in 2008). In keeping with
other branches of Shiism, it traces its heritage to
the ahl al-bayt—the household of the prophet
Muhammad (ca. 570–632). Its name is derived
from that of Zayd ibn Ali (d. 740), the son of
Ali Zayn al-Abidin (d. 714) and grandson of
hUsayn ibn ali, who was killed at Karbala in 680.
According to Zaydi doctrine he is the fifth Imam,
instead of Muhammad al-Baqir (d. 731), who is
considered to be the fifth in tWelve-imam shiism.
Known for his religious knowledge, Zayd became
embroiled in anti-Umayyad politics, and he was
considered by his followers to be a Shii imam
because of his descent and because he led a revolt
against the Umayyads. He received only nominal
support from other Shii factions in Arabia and
Iraq, partly because he refused to condemn abU
bakr (r. 632–634) and Umar ibn al-khattab (r.
634–644), the first two caliphs. Zayd was killed
by Umayyad troops in a skirmish in Kufa in 740.
The Syrians dismembered his body—the head
was presented to the caliph in Damascus and the
body was crucified, then later burned and theZaydi Shiism 719 J