The Effect of al-Abbas on the Water of Zamzam: He Did Not Permit It for Bathing
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
He says: It is reported from al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, as found in the History of Makkah, that he said regarding the water of Zamzam, “I do not permit it for bathing.” Does this indicate that it is permissible to perform wudu with the water of Zamzam, but not to take a bath?
Answer:
It is not al-Abbas who makes things lawful or forbidden; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) does that. But perhaps what al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) intended was that the water that is extracted from Zamzam should not be used for bathing, because it would restrict the people who are drinking it. It does not mean that it does not purify. Rather, may Allah know best, he wanted to ensure that those who drink from Zamzam are not restricted. Yes.
He says: It is reported from al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, as found in the History of Makkah, that he said regarding the water of Zamzam, “I do not permit it for bathing.” Does this indicate that it is permissible to perform wudu with the water of Zamzam, but not to take a bath?
Answer:
It is not al-Abbas who makes things lawful or forbidden; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) does that. But perhaps what al-Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) intended was that the water that is extracted from Zamzam should not be used for bathing, because it would restrict the people who are drinking it. It does not mean that it does not purify. Rather, may Allah know best, he wanted to ensure that those who drink from Zamzam are not restricted. Yes.
Source
شرح كتاب المنتقى من أخبار المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم، المقدمة، وأول كتاب الطهارة — islamhouse.com (1:03:59)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.