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Fatwa CenterSupplicating before or after drinking Zamzam water
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. Shaykh, should one supplicate before drinking Aamzam water or after? I have come across two statements, one stating the former, and the other the latter. Please advise, Shaykh. May Allah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The apparent indication of the Sunnah texts is that a person should drink Zamzam water with the sincere intention of fulfilling his need. He is not required to recite a specific supplication; his intention is enough. There is no objection, however, to reciting a specific supplication when drinking Zamzam water. In fact, it was reported that a number of the righteous predecessors did so, and some scholars declared it to be recommended.
Ibn Taymiyyah 
said, "It is recommended to drink one's fill; i.e. fill his stomach with it until it is filled to the ribs, and invoke Allah with whatever legitimate supplication he wishes."
Some of the reported narrations from the righteous predecessors indicated supplicating after drinking Zamzam water, and others indicated reciting it before drinking. So this is a flexible matter, Allah willing. The following is an example of the narrations indicating supplicating after drinking Zamzam water: Imaam 'Abd Ar-Razzaaq narrated in his book Al-Musannaf that Ibn ʻAbbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, drank Zamzam water and then said, "O Allah! I ask You for beneficial knowledge, bountiful provision, and a healing from every ailment."
An example indicating that supplicating is done before drinking Zamzam water was narrated by Al-Khateeb in his book Tareekh Baghdad, where he relates that Suwayd ibn Saʻeed said, "I saw ʻAbdullah ibn Al-Mubaarak in Makkah, and Zamzam water was brought to him, so he took a sip and then faced the Kaʻbah and said, 'O Allah! Ibn Abi Al-Mawaali told us that Muhammad ibn Al-Munkadir narrated from Jaabir that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, 'Zamzam is for whatever one drinks it for,' and I am drinking it to spare myself the thirst of the Day of Judgment.' Then, he drank it."
Allah knows best.
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