The first time women took to wearing a sash was because of the mother of Ismail. She took a sash in order to conceal her tracks from Sarah. Then Ibrahim brought her and her son Ismail, while she was nursing him, until he placed them near the House, by a large tree above Zamzam in the upper part of the Mosque. At that time there was no one in Makkah, and there was no water there. He placed them there and left with them a leather bag containing dates and a waterskin containing water.
Then Ibrahim turned away and set off, so the mother of Ismail followed him and said, “O Ibrahim, where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there are no people and nothing at all?” She said that to him repeatedly, but he did not turn toward her. She then said to him, “Is it Allah who commanded you to do this?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then He will not let us be lost.” Then she returned, and Ibrahim went on until, when he was at the mountain pass where they could no longer see him, he faced the House, raised his hands, and supplicated with these words, saying: “Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley without cultivation,” until he reached, “that they may be grateful.” (Ibrahim 14:37)
The mother of Ismail continued nursing Ismail and drinking from that water until, when what was in the waterskin ran out, she became thirsty and her son became thirsty. She began looking at him as he twisted about, or he said: writhed, so she went away because she couldn't stand looking at him ˹this way˺. She found that Safa was the nearest hill in the land next to her, so she stood on it, then faced the valley, looking to see whether she could see anyone, but she saw no one. She descended from Safa until, when she reached the valley, she lifted the edge of her garment and then ran as a person in distress runs until she crossed the valley. Then she came to Marwah, stood on it, and looked to see whether she could see anyone, but she saw no one. She did that seven times. Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet ﷺ said: "That is the saʿī of the people between them."
When she looked out from Marwah, she heard a voice, so she said, “Quiet!” meaning to herself. Then she listened carefully and heard it again, so she said, “You have made yourself heard, if you have any help ˹to offer˺?” There she found the angel at the place of Zamzam. He dug with his heel, or he said: with his wing, until water appeared. She began making a basin around it, gesturing like this with her hand, and she began scooping water into her waterskin while it continued to gush after she had scooped. Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet ﷺ said: "May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ismail. Had she left Zamzam—or he said: had she not scooped from the water—Zamzam would have been a flowing spring." He said: She drank and nursed her child, and the angel said to her, “Do not fear being lost, for here is the House of Allah. This boy and his father will build it, and Allah does not let His people be lost.”
The House was raised above the ground like a mound. Floodwaters would come to it and pass to its right and its left. She remained like that until a group from Jurhum, or a household from Jurhum, passed by them, coming by the route of Kada. They camped in the lower part of Makkah and saw a bird circling, so they said, “This bird is certainly circling over water. We know this valley from before, and there is no water in it.” They sent a scout or two scouts, and they found the water. They returned and told them about the water, so they came. He said: The mother of Ismail was by the water. They said, “Will you permit us to settle near you?” She said, “Yes, but you will have no right to the water.” They said, “Yes.” Ibn Abbas said: The Prophet ﷺ said: "That suited the mother of Ismail, for she loved human company." So they settled there and sent for their families, who settled with them, until there were households from among them there.
The boy grew up, learned Arabic from them, and as he grew he became beloved and admired by them. When he reached maturity, they married him to a woman from among them, and the mother of Ismail died. Ibrahim came after Ismail had married, looking after what he had left behind, but he did not find Ismail. He asked his wife about him, and she said, “He has gone out seeking provision for us.” Then he asked her about their living and their condition, and she said, “We are in a bad state; we are in hardship and distress,” and she complained to him. He said, “When your husband comes, convey greetings of peace to him and tell him to change the threshold of his door.” When Ismail came, as though he sensed something, he said, “Did anyone come to you?” She said, “Yes, an old man of such-and-such description came to us. He asked us about you, and I informed him. He asked me how our living was, and I told him that we were in hardship and distress.” He said, “Did he advise you with anything?” She said, “Yes. He instructed me to convey greetings of peace to you, and he says: Change the threshold of your door.” He said, “That was my father, and he has commanded me to part from you. Go back to your family.” So he divorced her and married another woman from among them.
Ibrahim stayed away from them as long as Allah willed, then he came to them afterward, but he did not find him. He entered upon his wife and asked her about him, and she said, “He has gone out seeking provision for us.” He said, “How are you?” and he asked her about their living and their condition. She said, “We are well and in ease,” and she praised Allah. He said, “What is your food?” She said, “Meat.” He said, “What is your drink?” She said, “Water.” He said, “O Allah, bless them in meat and water.” The Prophet ﷺ said: "They had no grain that day; had they had it, he would have supplicated for blessing for them in it." He said: No one subsists exclusively on those two outside Makkah without them not agreeing with him. He said, “When your husband comes, convey greetings of peace to him and instruct him to keep firm the threshold of his door.” When Ismail came, he said, “Did anyone come to you?” She said, “Yes. A well-presented old man came to us,” and she praised him. “He asked me about you, and I informed him. He asked me how our living was, and I told him that we were well.” He said, “Did he advise you with anything?” She said, “Yes. He conveys greetings of peace to you and commands you to keep firm the threshold of your door.” He said, “That was my father, and you are the threshold. He commanded me to keep you.”
Then he stayed away from them as long as Allah willed. Then he came after that while Ismail was sharpening arrows of his beneath a large tree near Zamzam. When he saw him, he rose to him, and they did as a father does with a son and a son with a father. Then he said, “O Ismail, Allah has commanded me with a matter.” He said, “Do what your Lord has commanded you.” He said, “Will you help me?” He said, “I will help you.” He said, “Allah has commanded me to build a House here,” and he pointed to a mound elevated above what was around it. He said: Thereupon they raised the foundations of the House. Ismail began bringing the stones, and Ibrahim was building, until, when the structure rose high, he brought this stone and placed it for him. He stood on it while building, and Ismail handed him the stones, while they were both saying: “Our Lord, accept from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.” He said: They continued building until they went around the House, while both of them were saying: “Our Lord, accept from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.”