A friend of mine named Sumani recently returned from Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. This means his name is now Al-Hajj Sumani signifying his status as a committed Muslim. However, everyone in town calls him by his nickname “No Food For Lazy Man.” That common West African proverb is painted on the back of his fleet of buses and semis – thus his nickname – thus his financial ability to go to Mecca.
I visited NoFoodForLazyMan with some friends to greet him when he returned from his pilgrimage and I was offered some special water at his house. I assumed it had some sort of spiritual significance so I politely declined and decided to do my research on it later.
It turns out that the water is from the Zamzam Well in Mecca. According to Islamic tradition, this well is the one which God miraculously provided to Hagar and Ishmael in the desert (Genesis 21:14-19). Conflicting Islamic traditions hold that either the angel Gabriel or Ishmael kicked the ground to create a spring.
Many Muslims bring back water from the well to their friends and family after their pilgrimage. As expected, it has many superstitions tied to drinking it. Some believe it has miraculous healing powers where others simply believe that it is the purest water on earth. As a result, Saudi Arabia has banned exports of the water for commercial purposes since it was being abused.
Pray for me to have opportunities and boldness to share the story of the Living Water from John 4. My prayer is that they will do as the Samaritan woman and leave their water jars at the well to run and proclaim the good news to their communities (v.28-29).
