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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! ✨
Uncle Zucky, why are we up here again?
Zaki:Because Captain Sohail thinks it's undignified to snack after sunset.
Noora:And you're doing it anyway?
Zaki:I'm not proud of it. But yes. And because if Captain Sohail hears me eating after dark, he'll go on about digestive discipline?
Noora:He says that every time.
Zaki:He says everything, every time.
Noora:It's really quiet tonight.
Zaki:The quiet makes you listen, makes you think.
Noora:What are you thinking about?
Zaki:About how sometimes you believe something in your heart and the world isn't ready for it yet. So you keep it close, quiet, safe.
Noora:A secret?
Zaki:No. Like a seed. One day, it grows. But first, it waits.
Captain Suhail:I, just like my seaweed pie, needed to ferment three moons before it stopped smelling like disaster.
Zaki:Captain Suhail, were you up there the whole time?
Captain Suhail:Well, of course, this branch has the best view and the best snacks. You snack thief. You silent feathered fiend. They say the early bird gets the worm, but it's the quiet ones who find the snacks. I get both.
Zaki:Meraj Digital presents The Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe. Season two, episode 12, The First Muslims.
Zaki:Hello. I mean, salaam, my curious minds and brilliant beaks. Welcome back to amazing stories with Zaki.
Captain Suhail:Where snacks are sacred, secrets are frequent, and storytelling comes with surprise witnesses. He means himself, obviously.
Noora:Uncle Zaki, what you said before about believing in something before anyone else does, was that about you? Or was it a story?
Zaki:Both, but especially a story. A story that begins not with a crowd, but with a whisper, not in a palace, but in a simple home in Mecca.
Noora:Is it about prophet Muhammad?
Zaki:Yes. And the very first people who believed in him. Before the world knew his name. Before the Quran was written down. When the message was still secret and sacred.
Captain Suhail:I sounds familiar. Like when I discovered the sea of stillness and nobody believed me until the boat sank. Then suddenly, oh, captain, you were right. Ignoring him.
Zaki:Today's story is about hidden prayers, brave hearts, and the house where Islam quietly bloomed.
Noora:Were they scared?
Zaki:Sometimes, but courage isn't the opposite of fear, Nora. It's what you do with it.
Captain Suhail:Also, what you do when you got no escape rope, no anchor, and a walrus chasing your boat.
Zaki:Alright. Alright. Everyone hold on to your feathers. This one begins with light hidden in the dark. After the angel Jabriel first visited the prophet Muhammad in the cave, everything changed, but not loudly, not suddenly.
Zaki:Like a seed in the earth, something began to grow, quietly.
Noora:So, did he tell everyone right away?
Zaki:No, my little Walnut. At first, the message was a secret shared only with those he trusted most.
Captain Suhail:Aye, smart move. No sense shouting into a storm when you can light a candle indoors first. The first to
Zaki:believe was Khadija, the prophet's wife, his closest friend. She didn't ask for a sign or proof, she just knew because her heart already knew him. Then came a boy, young, curious, but with the eyes of someone older inside. His name was Ali.
Noora:Wait, Isn't that the prophet's cousin?
Zaki:Yes. And he had been raised in the prophet's own home. They were family, but even more than that, they were close. So when Ali heard the message of Islam, he didn't argue or wait to see what others would do. He believed quietly, boldly.
Captain Suhail:Laddad's spine. Like the time I stood up to a giant squid using only a spoon and a sock. Sock. Very inspiring, captain.
Noora:Did you wear the sock or did you fight with it?
Captain Suhail:Well, you see, I first had the sock over my right wing. But then as the squid went for a swoop, I Anyways,
Zaki:then came Zaid ibn Haritha. He wasn't just someone who worked for the Prophet. He was family too. The Prophet had freed him, raised him with love, and treated him like a son. Zaid had seen the Prophet's truth up close for years, so when he heard the message, his heart recognized it instantly.
Zaki:Three hearts, one message, quietly growing. Soon after, an influential businessman by the name of Abu Bakr accepted Islam, along with a handful of others. The prophet didn't preach in the streets yet, not because he was scared, but because the message needed protection, like a tiny flame in the wind. So he taught in secret. Angel Jibril brought new verses from Allah little by little, like drops of light.
Zaki:And the prophet shared them with these few first believers, teaching them how to pray, how to live with truth, and how to hold on to faith even when no one else could see it. But secrets can only stay quiet for so long. And in Makkah, even whispers had a way of echoing through stone. As the days passed, the circle grew. Small steps, whispered words, quiet prayers.
Zaki:One heart told another, and the message moved like water underground.
Noora:So people were joining?
Zaki:Yes. But always in secret. The prophet hadn't told the world yet. He only shared the message with those he trusted, people who were ready.
Captain Suhail:Aye. Better to build a boat in secret than patch holes in public.
Zaki:This wasn't fear. It was wisdom. The Quraysh, they were powerful and deeply attached to their idols, even if they didn't yet know what the prophet was teaching. The streets of Makkah were loud with pride. Tribes argued over honor, money, and who controlled which idol at the Kaaba.
Zaki:Each tribe had its own statue, big ones, small ones, ones with gold noses. Some people bowed to them. Some just used them for business, but no one dared question them.
Noora:But didn't that happen before too? With prophet Ibrahim?
Zaki:Exactly, Nunu. A long time ago, prophet Ibrahim faced the same blindness. People who carved idols with their own hands, then prayed to them for rain. It didn't make sense. But when he told them the truth, they didn't listen.
Zaki:They got angry.
Captain Suhail:Truth has a way of upsetting folks who like the dark.
Zaki:That's why Prophet Muhammad didn't announce his mission yet. The hearts weren't ready, and he knew the Quraysh could react the same way Ibrahim's people had, or worse. So he taught quietly in a house just outside the city center, Dar Al Arkham, there the message grew in secret. Every verse brought by Angel Jibril was shared with love, memorized with care, and lived with sincerity.
Noora:And the Quraysh still didn't notice?
Zaki:Some started to feel something was changing. They didn't know what, but they didn't like how certain people started acting. Different, kinder, braver, like something unseen was guiding them. The calm before a storm. But inside Dar Al Arkham, the storm didn't matter.
Zaki:What mattered was the light, hidden, yes, but growing stronger every day.
Noora:But how did they even get there? If it was all secret?
Zaki:They were careful, Nora, so careful. Some came late at night, some covered their faces, they'd change their paths, double back, make sure no one was following.
Captain Suhail:Like smuggling treasure through a thunderstorm, one wrong step, and everything could fall apart. They risked everything just for
Zaki:the chance to hear the words of Allah. In that little house, lit only by oil lamps and hope, Islam was quietly taking its first steps.
Captain Suhail:No army, no banners, just a message in the dark.
Zaki:And soon, the light would grow too bright to hide. They came in ones and twos, every step cautious, every prayer whispered, but what they found inside was peace.
Noora:Even though it was small?
Zaki:It didn't matter. Dar Al Arkham was small in size, but vast in light. When the prophet recited the Quran, it felt like the entire world paused to listen.
Captain Suhail:Aye, sometimes a tiniest lantern outshines the biggest ship.
Zaki:Inside those walls, something incredible was happening. People were changing. Harsh hearts softened, greedy hands opened, angry souls found stillness. They learned how to stand in prayer, bow in gratitude, and treat the poor like family. These weren't just followers, They were the first seeds of something eternal.
Noora:But still in secret?
Zaki:Yes. The prophet knew the timing had to be right. Allah had not commanded him to go public yet. So they waited. And in that waiting, they grew.
Captain Suhail:Strange, isn't it? How the quietest times often do the loudest work.
Zaki:In the dark, their faith glowed brighter. It held them together. Men and women, rich and poor, young and old, all equal before Allah, all learning from the same voice. It wasn't easy. Some had doubts, some felt alone, but they held on because they knew this wasn't just belief.
Zaki:It was truth. It was love. It was light.
Noora:And one day they would tell everyone?
Zaki:Yes, but not yet. The prophet was waiting for the command from Allah. And when it came, it would be like a sunrise, unstoppable, undeniable.
Captain Suhail:But until then, they were the stars before the dawn.
Zaki:Yes, captain. They were the stars before the dawn. And even though the world hadn't seen it yet, the sky was already glowing. You know, little ones, sometimes the bravest things we do don't happen on a battlefield. They happen quietly, in our hearts, in secret prayers, in choosing to do what's right, even when no one else sees.
Noora:So being Muslim was kind of a secret superpower?
Zaki:Yes. But not for flying or lifting camels. It was the power of patience, of believing in something true even when the world isn't ready to listen.
Captain Suhail:I like when I said sea cucumbers make great pillows. No one believed me until nap time.
Zaki:The early Muslims didn't shout or fight. They learned, they prayed. They stayed close to the prophet and trusted that Allah would guide them step by step.
Noora:But why didn't they just tell everyone? Wouldn't that be faster?
Zaki:Because sometimes the strongest light needs time to grow. Allah was teaching them first so that one day they could teach the world.
Captain Suhail:Takes wisdom to wait and courage to believe before the crowd.
Zaki:Well said, captain. And that, my fluttery friends, is how Islam began, Not with a parade or a shout, but with a whisper in the dark and hearts full of light.
Noora:It was like a secret garden growing where no one could see it.
Zaki:Exactly, Nora. But next time, the garden door opens. Oh, we talking feasts, family drama, and surprise speeches? Yes. Because next time, the prophet gathers his whole family, uncles, cousins, everyone, for one very important dinner.
Noora:Is that when he tells them?
Zaki:The secret is about to become a message for the world, and one brave young voice will stand up before anyone else.
Captain Suhail:I do love a good dinner and a dramatic reveal.
Zaki:Then don't miss our next episode.
Captain Suhail:Hope they got lentil stew.
Zaki:Until then, stay kind, stay curious, and keep your hearts full of light. Salaam.
Captain Suhail:You hear that, Noora? Keep your hearts full of light. Says the bird who nearly fainted over a missing snack bag.
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 Kashef and Atef Hussein. For more content by Meraj Digital, please visit our site at www.meraj.digital.
Captain Suhail:Content copyright and production copyright 2025 by Meraj Digital.