Short answer
Taking zamzam home is sunnah: A'ishah carried it and said the Prophet ﷺ did so. Selling zamzam that someone has drawn and bottled is permissible in the Hanafi school, because water becomes property once collected. Non-Muslims may drink it, and you may recite Quran over it.
Water in a well is not owned by anyone, but water drawn into a container is owned and may be sold or gifted. Zamzam is no exception, though giving it freely is more rewarding. Carrying it home is mustahabb.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to carry zamzam water home and said the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to carry it. Pilgrims have taken it back to their families ever since, and it is a much-loved gift.
- Selling: the four schools agree that collected water can be sold; the price is for the effort of drawing, bottling and carrying it. The water in the well itself cannot be owned, so no one may stop people from drinking there.
- Buying it outside Makkah: fine, but check it is genuine; many fake bottles are sold.
- Non-Muslims: may drink it. It is blessed water, not a ritual reserved for Muslims.
- Reciting Quran over it: allowed, as with any water used for ruqyah (healing by recitation).
- Wudu or ghusl with it: allowed. Using it to clean after the toilet is disliked out of respect.
- Mixing with ordinary water: fine; the blessing is not lost by mixing.
- Flights: airlines and Saudi airports set rules for carrying it; follow them.
For how to drink it, see how to drink zamzam.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Ibrahim 14:37
رَّبَّنَآ إِنِّىٓ أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِى بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِى زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ ٱلْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱجْعَلْ أَفْـِٔدَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱلنَّاسِ تَهْوِىٓ إِلَيْهِمْ وَٱرْزُقْهُم مِّنَ ٱلثَّمَرَٰتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾
Our Lord, I have settled some of my descendants in an uncultivated valley near Your sacred House, our Lord, that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide for them from the fruits that they might be grateful.
The valley of zamzam was settled through Ibrahim's prayer.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 963
Grading to be checked... أنها كانت تحمل من ماء زمزم وتخبر أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم كان يحمله ...
"She used to carry zamzam water and said that the Messenger of Allah used to carry it."
Taking zamzam home is sunnah.
Sahih Muslim 2473
Sahih... إنها مباركة إنها طعام طعم ...
"It is blessed; it is food that nourishes."
The blessing of zamzam.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Shirb, on waters. Water collected in containers is owned and may be sold.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, on zamzam. Carrying zamzam home is recommended; using it for istinja is disliked.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.