Islam’s source of life and giving

“While a man was walking, he felt thirsty and went down a well and drank water from it. On coming out of it, he saw a dog panting and eating mud because of excessive thirst.

“The man said, ‘This dog is suffering from the same problem as that of mine.’ So he went down the well, filled his shoe with water, caught hold of it with his teeth and climbed up and provided the water to the dog.

“Allah thanked him for his good deed and forgave his sins …”

The Prophet Mohammed told this story more than 1,400 years ago as an example to his followers to show mercy towards animals, and to reflect the great reward for the charitable act of giving water to other living beings.

Water has always had a special place in the Islamic religion, with the Messenger of Allah once overheard saying: “The best form of sadaqah [charity] is giving someone water.”

The giving of water is still very much around today, using more modern water sources.

When Mohammed Al Marri’s mother was ill and felt her days may be numbered, she asked him to install a water dispenser in her name directly outside her home.

They are known in Arabic as sabeel water, which translates roughly to a continuous flow of water.

“She stood outside one day and saw a group of joggers running around Safa Park and thought to herself, ‘why not provide all those who come to the park with fresh free water, so that they never have to worry about carrying or bringing their own bottles’,” says Mr Al Marri, 66, an Emirati.

“She wanted to do it for the sake of Allah. Providing water like water sabeel or digging wells is a form of sadaqah jariya [charity that continues beyond your lifetime], so that each time someone drinks, it is like giving charity.

“It is like small prayers and rewards for the deceased each time someone sips and drinks to fulfil their thirst.”

Now more than 10 years old, the metal water cooler with two taps is used by passers-by including families visiting Safa Park and random drivers who stop to fill their bottles.

“We often see labourers filling entire water canisters that would last a few days before they walk away with them to wherever they happen to be working or staying,” says Mr Al Marri.

Now a grandfather, he remembers a time when donkeys would carry sacks of water or old oil cans filled with water.

Young men known as abu kindr, or water carriers, were also a common sight, carrying a pole with a water sack on each end. It was always a precious item, Mr Al Marri says.

“No one dared to waste water then. Unfortunately, today we see how people splash water about when washing cars or just throwing half-full water bottles into the bin.

“It is a sin, as water is precious and Islamic values as well as our Bedu Arab traditions forbids us from wasting even a drop.

“Why do you think Arabs have so many poems about water? It is second to love-related poems, if not more important.”

The coolers outside Emirati homes across the country have been around for decades, with some new homes reviving the tradition with permission from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

“Most of our values and traditions stem from Islamic tradition, and so water charity is one of the most favoured form of giving,” says Mohammed Al Muhairi, a board member of the Dar Al Ber society, a charity organisation.

“It is our Islamic duty to give water to every living being, we shouldn’t differentiate between an animal, a bird, plants and a human being,” Mr Al Muhairi says.

Among the most popular programmes at Dar Al Ber is one where people donate funds to build wells, which costs between Dh3,000 and Dh200,000, around the world.

“A whole village can live off a well. So imagine the difference you are making in someone’s life when you do dig a well,” said Mr Al Muhairi.

Born in a harsh desert terrain, it is not surprising that Islam ascribes the most sacred of qualities to water. It is the purifier and heavenly source of life, and its conservation is part of Islamic teachings.

The term Sharia originally meant “the place from which one descends to water”, and included rules about sharing the liquid in pre-Islamic Arabia that were later expanded to embody Islamic laws in general.

To this day, there is a section of the ancient man-made water irrigation system aflaj, including a collection in Al Ain, named Sharia. These are open to all.

A sundial and stars were used to allocate times for people to use the water. It became a time-honoured tradition to ensure equal sharing among the users of a continuous water flow, including a time and section for animals and plants to benefit.

The water sabeel is also a form of hospitality, by which one does not have to go inside someone’s home to feel welcome.

“Generosity and hospitality is part of Arab traditions and providing water for strangers combines these values,” said Umm Ahmed, an Emirati in her 40s who had a water sabeel at her family house where she grew up, and now at her own Jumeirah home.

“Many people don’t know who the water fountains and water coolers belong to, and that is how it should be. Charity is about good intentions and giving without asking for a thank you from those drinking the water.

“We also like to dig wells in poor countries as a means of spreading good will and giving charity.”

The cost of the water, which comes from the mains water supply, is added to the monthly Dewa bill. For Emiratis, the first 75 litres are free.

Water traditions in Islam extend far beyond one’s home. Pilgrims performing Umrah or Haj in Mecca often bring back the gifts of holy water called zamzam.

The water, available for free as charging for it is illegal, is believed to be from the same source from which Ismail and Hajerah, son and wife of Prophet Ibrahim, drank when they were left in the area.

About 2000BC, Hajerah searched for water for her child. It is said in one telling that the Angel Gabriel hit the ground with his wing until fresh, pure water emerged.

That became known as zamzam water and the well has been used by millions of pilgrims ever since.

In all the time Umm Ahmed has been giving water to those in need, no one has ever knocked on the front of her home to thank her.

“It is OK. We would never expect that,” she says. “It is about making other peoples’ lives a little bit easier by at least providing them with water. They can find water outside our homes, or at the mosques.”

Umm Ahmed wants her children to continue the tradition.

“Water belongs to all of us, all living begins, and it unites us,” she says.

“Nothing tastes as beautiful as water after a long day of thirst.”

rghazal@thenational.ae