Hajar

Hagar, mother of Ishmael, whose search for water for her son is remembered in the rite of Safa and Marwa.

What it means

Ibn Abbas relates in Sahih al-Bukhari that Hagar, an Egyptian given to Sarah, was left with her infant son in the barren valley of Mecca. She ran seven times between Safa and Marwa in search of help, until Gabriel struck the ground and the spring of Zamzam came forth. Pilgrims repeat her search in the saʿy.

What the sources say

Where the Bible describes her expulsion (Genesis 21), the Muslim tradition has her settled by Abraham on God’s command. The Prophet said, “may God have mercy on the mother of Ishmael; if she had left Zamzam alone, it would be a flowing spring” (Sahih al-Bukhari).