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Introducing "Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe!" 🎉
Get ready for a storytelling adventure that’s not just for kids, but for the whole family—including parents! Zaki, the lively and clever hoopoe bird, invites everyone to explore the wonders of ancient tales, where prophets, brave animals, and magical moments come to life. 🌟 Tailored for kids aged 5-8, but with plenty of fun, humor, and fascinating lessons to keep parents entertained, too!
Zaki's adventures take you to deserts, seas, and enchanted forests, where you’ll meet the brave ant that stood up to Prophet Sulaiman 🐜, Prophet Ibrahim standing up against the evil King Nimrod, Prophet Nuh and his legendary Ark, and many more legendary Prophets. With a sprinkle of jokes, interactive questions, and exciting sound effects, each episode is an engaging experience for all ages!
Parents, you’ll love the way Zaki weaves timeless lessons with humor and charm, making this the perfect family bonding time. Whether in the car, during bedtime, or just for fun, Amazing Stories with Zaki is your go-to source for entertaining, educational stories that spark curiosity and values in kids—and even surprise grown-ups!
So, gather around, sit back, and let Zaki take you on a magical journey that everyone will enjoy. Ready? Let’s fly into adventure! ✨
Careful, careful. If I tuck this branch here, it might hold.
Noora:Ah, it all broke again, uncle. The whole wall fell down.
Zaki:I tried, but the wind keeps tearing it apart. Without strong support, nothing stays standing.
Captain Suhail:By the barnacles of Bahrain, this so called shelter wouldn't hold off a sneeze lad. One gust and down she goes.
Noora:But what if a storm comes? We'll have nothing to cover us, nothing at all.
Zaki:That's what it feels like when the walls you trust are gone, when the ones who protected you are no longer there.
Noora:So what do we do now, uncle?
Zaki:Then you endure the storm, and you trust Allah to carry you through it.
Captain Suhail:Aye. Every ship sails easier with a harbor, but when the harbor's gone, you face the sea alone.
Zaki:Meraj Digital presents The Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe. Season Two, Episode 20, the Year of Sorrow.
Zaki:Salaam, my amazing friends. I'm so glad you are here. Today, our story is about one of the heaviest times in the life of prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.
Zaki:A time of hardship, sadness, and patience.
Noora:Uncle Zaki, what does sorrow mean? You always say it's the year of sorrow, but what is sorrow?
Zaki:Sorrow is a deep, deep sadness. It's when your heart feels heavy because you've lost something or someone you love.
Noora:Like when I lost my favorite feather cape, but much, much bigger?
Zaki:Yes, little one. Much bigger. It's the kind of sadness that makes you cry, but also makes you pray to Allah for strength.
Captain Suhail:Ay, lass. Like a storm at sea, sorrow batters the sails, but patience is the anchor that keeps the ship from sinking.
Zaki:That's right, captain. And that's the lesson today. Even in the darkest sorrow, the prophet showed us patience and trust in Allah. Now let's step back in time to the valley where it all began. The leaders of Quraish gathered in secret.
Zaki:They were angry. The prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, was calling people to worship only Allah, and many of their people were listening.
Noora:But why would they be angry about that?
Zaki:Because, Nunu, their power and money came from the idols. People traveled from far away to see them, and Quresh made profit. If everyone believed in only Allah, the idols would be gone, and so would their wealth. So they wrote a pact, a promise. No one would trade with the Muslims.
Zaki:No one would marry them. No one would even talk to them.
Noora:Wait. Is that what boycott means? Not sharing anything? Not even talking?
Zaki:Yes. A boycott is when people are cut off completely. And this boycott was meant to break the Muslims' hearts. The Muslims and the Prophet's family were forced into a small valley on the edge of Makkah. It was called Shib Abi Talib.
Captain Suhail:A valley, a narrow cut of earth, walls of rock rising on either side. Not much cover from heat or wind. For three long years,
Zaki:they lived there. Traders who once sold grain in the markets now turn their backs. If the Muslims tried to buy food, Quraysh shouted, Raise the price, make it impossible for them. At night, the valley echoed with the sound of hungry children. Their stomachs growled, but there was nothing to eat except leaves, bark, and sometimes boiled leather softened just enough to chew.
Noora:Uncle, did little children really cry from hunger?
Zaki:Yes. They did, Nurah. Their mothers tried to comfort them, but there was so little to give. And yet, the Muslims held firm. They whispered prayers asking Allah for strength.
Captain Suhail:Aye, hunger's a storm that rages inside the belly, harder than any gale I've weathered. But even then, the
Zaki:prophet walked among them. He reminded them that Allah sees every hardship, that patience brings reward beyond imagining. The years were long, but the Muslims did not give up their faith. And one night, something remarkable happened. The parchment of the boycott hung inside the Kaaba had been eaten away by insects.
Zaki:Only the words in the name of Allah remained. The pact was destroyed.
Noora:So Allah himself made the boycott end?
Zaki:Yes, Nunu. Allah showed his power that even the strongest plan of Quraysh could be undone, and the Muslims were free again. But freedom from hunger did not mean freedom from pain. For soon, the Prophet would face the greatest losses of all. When the boycott finally ended, the Muslims could breathe again, but years of hunger and hardship had left their mark.
Zaki:Khadija, the Prophet's beloved wife, had grown very weak. Khadija was no ordinary wife. She was the first to believe in the prophet, peace be upon him, the very first Muslim. When the world mocked him, she believed. When others doubted, she stood firm.
Noora:Uncle, was she ever scared? Everyone was against them, right?
Zaki:Yes, little one. She must have felt fear, but she had more courage than fear. Do you know what she said the night the prophet came back from Cave Hira shaking after the first revelation? She wrapped him in her cloak and whispered, Allah will never abandon you. Those words lit the fire of hope in his heart.
Zaki:She gave her wealth to feed the poor when others went hungry. She used her voice to calm him when others shouted insults. She gave her love when the world gave him hatred. But after years of struggle, her body grew tired, she fell ill, and one quiet day, her time came to return to Allah.
Noora:So she died just like that?
Zaki:She closed her eyes, and the Prophet held her hand. The one who had been his partner for over twenty years, the one who never left his side, had returned to her Lord.
Noora:That must have hurt so much. Was the prophet really sad?
Zaki:Yes, little one. He wept. He grieved. Because even the messenger of Allah had a heart that loved deeply. And when you love that deeply, you feel the loss like a mountain on your chest.
Captain Suhail:Every sailor needs a harbor and the prophet's harbor was gone.
Zaki:The house of the prophet grew quiet. The laughter of Khadija, the voice that always said, I believe in you, was no longer there. The home was filled with silence.
Noora:I feel like crying uncle.
Zaki:It's alright to cry, Nunu. Even the prophet cried, sorrow is the shadow of love. And the prophet loved Khadija more than words can ever say. But sorrow was not finished. For soon, another storm would strike.
Zaki:The prophet would lose not only his comfort, but his shield in Makkah. Not long after Qadija returned to Allah, another sorrow fell upon the Prophet. His uncle, Abu Talib, grew ill. Abu Talib had raised him since he was a child. When the Prophet was small and lost both his parents, it was Abu Talib who took him in, who fed him, who protected him.
Noora:So Abu Talib was like his father?
Zaki:Well, of course, he was. Like a father, like a guardian, like a shield. When the Quraysh tried to hurt the prophet, Abu Talib stood before him. When they mocked him, Abu Talib said, he is my nephew and I will not leave him. But now Abu Talib was weak.
Zaki:His strength was leaving and soon the prophet lost
Noora:him too. So he lost Khadija, and then he lost Abu Talib all in the same year?
Zaki:Yes, Nunu. His comfort and his protection, both gone. With Abu Talib gone, Quresh no longer feared to harm the Prophet. They began to insult him openly, to throw dust on him as he walked. The streets of Makkah grew colder.
Zaki:The Prophet's heart was heavy. He had lost the one who held his hand and the one who shielded his back. It was a year so full of grief. He gave it a name, Amu Al Hussain, the year of sorrow.
Noora:He named a whole year after sorrow?
Zaki:Because that year, the prophet carried grief like a mountain. And yet, he still carried his message. He still trusted Allah. He showed us that even in the darkest times, patience and faith light the way forward. The year of sorrow was the hardest time in Makkah.
Zaki:But it was also the moment that turned the Prophet toward a new path. A journey that would carry him beyond Makkah's walls. My friends, this story shows us something important. Even the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, felt deep sorrow. He lost the people he loved most.
Zaki:He wept. He grieved. But he never gave up his trust in Allah.
Noora:So it's not wrong to feel sad? It's okay to cry?
Zaki:Sorrow is part of being human. When you love someone, losing them hurts. But our prophet showed us that when the heart feels heavy, we turn to Allah. He is the one who comforts, the one who never leaves us.
Noora:So patience means waiting with Allah even when it hurts?
Zaki:Exactly, Nunu. Patience is not about hiding your tears. It's about trusting Allah through them.
Captain Suhail:I, even a captain may weep in a storm, but keep your hand on the wheel, lad, and trust the sea will carry you home.
Zaki:The year of sorrow was one of the hardest times in the life of the prophet. But from sorrow comes new beginnings. After this year, the prophet would set his eyes on a new city, hoping to find open hearts and helping hands.
Noora:A new city? Did he find friends there?
Zaki:That Nunu is our next story. The journey to a place called Taif.
Captain Suhail:Aye, the shelter may fall, the storm may howl, but a true captain keeps sailing, for beyond every storm lies a new shore.
Zaki:This story was produced by Meraj Digital. Voices provided by Wayne Holland as Zaki and Curtis Fletcher as captain Sohail. Episode written, directed, and edited by Syed Kashif and Atif Hussein. For more content by Meraj Digital, please visit our site at www.Meraj.digital.
Copyright:Content copyright and production copyright 2025 by Meraj Digital.