Hajar was the first woman to wear a robe with a train to hide her footsteps from her co-wife Sarah who was jealous of her. Later on, a Revelation was sent to Abraham to take Hajar and her son Ishmael to Mecca. Abraham (peace be upon him) brought Hajar and her son Ishmael (peace be upon him), whom she was still nursing, and left them at (the site of) the House of Allah [Ka`bah] under a tree above Zamzam. Mecca at that time was a place where there was neither water nor dwellers. He left a bag of dates and a waterskin for them. Then, Abraham (peace be upon him) went away. Ishmael''s mother said to him, "O Abraham! Where are you going? Are you going to leave us in this valley where there is neither human nor living creature?" She repeated this several times, but he did not answer. Finally, she asked him, "Has Allah commanded you to do so?" He answered, "Yes." Thereupon she said, "Then He will not let us perish!".
Then, she returned back to her place. Abraham left and when he reached a mountain pass where he could no longer be seen by them, he turned his face toward the Ka`bah and with his hands raised, supplicated, " O Our Lord! I have made of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation by Your Sacred House; in order Our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits, so that they may give thanks."
Ishmael''s mother drank from her waterskin and nursed her baby, until all the water she had was gone and her milk dried up. Thus, her son grew hungrier and hungrier. He was writhing with hunger and she could hardly bear to look at him. So she went and stood at Al-Safa - the hill nearest to her - and looked down in the valley to see if there was someone there to help, but she could see no one. She, then, climbed down Al-Safa and reached the valley. She struggled hard, crossed the valley and reached Al-Marwah. She stood thereon and looked all around. Still she could see no one nearby. She repeated this seven times. When she reached Al-Marwah, she heard a sound and said to herself, "Be Quiet." She heard the sound again. Whereupon she said, "I have heard you. Help me, if you can." All of a sudden, she found an angel at the place where Zamzam now is. He kept digging the well with his heel (in another narration: with his wing) until water flew out. She used a waterskin to keep some of the overflowing water. She drank and gave water to her child. The angel addressed her, "Do not be afraid! for in this site, this child and his father will establish the House of Allah. Verily, Allah will not bring harm to those who believe in Him."
Shortly, a group of the Jurhum tribe came nearby and saw a bird hovering about the spot of water. They sent one or two slaves to explore the place. The two explorers returned after determining the exact position of the water. They headed for Mecca and asked Hajar, Ishmael''s mother, for permission to settle in that place. She gave them permission but stipulated that they would have no right to the water. They agreed on her condition.

RE-DIGGING OF ZAMZAM:

While `Abdul-Muttalib was sleeping in the Hijr, he was ordered, "Dig Barrah" He asked, "What is Barrah?" On the next day, while sleeping in the same place, he was also ordered "Dig Al-Madnunah." He asked, "What is Madnunah?" Then, the caller vanished. On the next day, he slept in the same place and was ordered, "Dig Tibah", He asked, "What is Tibah?" On the fourth day, it was said to him, "Dig Zamzam". He said, "What is Zamzam?" He was answered, "It never becomes empty or constricts." Then, its place was marked for him. He began to dig, and Quraish said to him, "What is it, `Abdul-Muttalib?" He said, "I have been commanded to dig the well of Zamzam."
Then, `Abdul-Muttalib went on digging until he found two golden deers. These were the two deers that had been buried there by the Jurhum clan at the time they were expelled from Mecca. It is the well of Ishmael bin Abraham (peace be upon them both). Thereupon, when `Abdul-Muttalib dug Zamzam, guided in this and singled out for it by Allah, he received increasing honor and influence among his own people.