Wells in the period of the prophet Muhammad and his water practices

Water is an essential element for all living beings to exist and sustain their lives. Water, which has vital importance, becomes even more important and valuable in a dry geography such as the Arabian Peninsula, which is inadequate in terms of surface water resources. Since there are no surface water resources in the Hejaz, where Islam was born and spread, and especially in Mecca and Medina, where the Prophet lived, underground spring waters/wells are of great importance. This study aims to identify water wells that existed in the pre-Islamic and early Islamic periods in Mecca, where the Prophet was born and raised, and in Medina, where he spent 10 years after the Hijrah, and to reveal his recommendations and practices regarding water and the water culture that emerged in Medina as a whole. The study consists of an introduction, three sections and a conclusion. The importance, purpose, method and sources of the subject are mentioned in the introduction section. The nature of water, how it is emphasized in the Quran and the relationship between water and civilization are discussed in the first section. In the second section, after providing information about the geographical features of the Arabian Peninsula and the Hejaz region, the region's water resources were examined. The Zamzam Well in Mecca and the water wells that were opened later and continued to exist until the end of the second century of the Hijra were identified. Then, the wells in Medina where the Prophet Muhammad visited, drank from their water, performed ablution, and asked for water to be brought to him when he was sick, and other wells around Medina were identified. In the third section, examples were given about the Prophet Muhammad's encouragement of Muslims to open wells and for the good of water in a region where water resources were limited, and his practices and recommendations regarding water and water resources were discussed; these practices regarding water and the water culture that emerged in Medina due to the importance given to water were mentioned. Our study was completed in the conclusion section with the evaluation of the information we obtained. Keywords: Prophet Muhammad, Water, Wells, Mecca, Medina.