Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe

Before he was a Prophet, Muhammad faced deep loss. Discover how love, faith, and quiet strength shaped a boy who would one day change the world.

What is Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe?

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! ✨

Zaki:

Alright, just one more clothespin, hold still Branch, there. And now, the final blanket.

Zaki:

My blanket palace. My feather fluffed memory foam enhanced masterpiece. Why gravity? Why?

Captain Suhail:

Blamey. Looks like a laundry basket, had a wrestling match with a tree, and lost.

Zaki:

It was perfect, Suhail The folds, the airflow, the sunbeam, just right for napping. I build it just like the one my mom used to make when I was little. She'd build a fort every time I was sad, said it was like a hug made out of blankets.

Captain Suhail:

I remember when me nest blew away in a gale off the coast of Zanzibar. I mourn that twine and kelp for weeks. It's not really about the fort,

Zaki:

you know. I it's what it reminded ye of. Some days it sneaks up on me. A smell, a sound, the shape of a shadow, and suddenly I'm six years old again, looking for her wing to tuck under. The ones we lose, they don't leave, lad.

Zaki:

Not really. They hide in the

Captain Suhail:

things we build, the stories we tell, and in the quiet corners of our hearts.

Zaki:

You're wiser than you look, Sohail.

Captain Suhail:

Don't let it get out. I've a reputation to uphold.

Zaki:

Well, maybe it's not the same fort, but maybe it's time to build a new one. One that remembers the old, but lets in new light.

Captain Suhail:

Aye, lad. And this time, let's anchor the corners with actual anchors. I've got a few rusty ones in me beak locker.

Zaki:

Meraj Digital presents The Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe. Season two, episode two, The Orphan.

Zaki:

Salaam, my wonderful listeners! It's your favorite feathered friend, Zaki the Hoopoe, back again with another amazing story from the pages of our history, you know, the kind that flutters right into your heart. And maybe even makes it flutter a little.

Zaki:

Have you ever had a moment where everything just felt different? Like the world got quiet in a way you didn't expect? Maybe someone was missing. Maybe you felt a little lost.

Captain Suhail:

Like a lighthouse going dim in the middle of the storm.

Zaki:

Or like losing your favorite perch and not knowing which branch to fly to next.

Captain Suhail:

Aye, you flap for a bit, but you learn to glide again.

Zaki:

That's what today's story is about. A journey that starts not with triumph or treasure, but with tenderness and loss. And yet, something beautiful blooms from it. Something the whole world would come to see. But let's just say, this boy we're about to meet, he didn't grow up the way most kids do.

Zaki:

He faced trials that would make even a camel sit down in shock.

Captain Suhail:

Don't say that around camels. You know they hold grudges.

Zaki:

Today, we're going back to Mecca, to a time when the world was tough and the hearts of good people were even tougher. We're going to meet someone who didn't have much. Not money, not a big home, not even both parents by his side. But what he did have, that changed everything. And no, we're not starting with miracles and prophecies and light bursting from the clouds.

Zaki:

Nope. This is the story before all of that. The early days, the quiet days, the shaping days.

Captain Suhail:

The days no one sings about, but maybe they should.

Zaki:

So grab your cocoa, your cozy blanket, and maybe give someone you love a little side hug. We're about to begin a journey of love, loss, and the kind of strength that grows in silence. This is the beginning of a story that shaped the world. Long before the call to prayer echoed through the hills, long before the Quran was revealed, there was a quiet beginning. In the valleys of Makkah, surrounded by sun baked stone and winding paths, a child entered the world.

Zaki:

His name was Muhammad. Peace and blessings be upon him.

Captain Suhail:

A light in the dark, as the elders would say.

Zaki:

But here's the part that always makes my feathers fall still. He never met his father. Abdullah, the son of Abdul Mutalib, passed away on a journey, before his son was even born. He'd been traveling to Yathrib, visiting family. They say he fell ill on the return and never made it home.

Captain Suhail:

A child born into the world, already missing a piece of it.

Zaki:

No stories from him, no warm arms to hold you, just silence where a father's voice should be. But Aminah. Oh, Aminah was there, his mother. Her love was steady, gentle. She held her baby close, whispering to him as if every word could shield him from sadness.

Captain Suhail:

Stronger than any armor, a mother's love.

Zaki:

She would sing to him, wrap him in cloth lined with hope, tell him stories of his noble lineage, of Ibrahim and Ismail, of the Kaaba, of honor. She may have been alone, but she never made him feel alone. Muhammad grew not in a palace, but in a place richer than gold, with kindness,

Captain Suhail:

with gentle pride, Halima Sadia and her clan. Some say the desert winds carved gentleness and courage right into his bones.

Zaki:

When he was six, Aminah took him on a journey, a long one, to Yathrib, where her husband had died. She wanted him to know his father's roots, to walk where Abdullah once walked, to connect him to

Captain Suhail:

what little was left. The return journey, it didn't go as planned.

Zaki:

Near a village called Al Abwa, between Yathreb and Mecca, Amana fell ill. The journey, the heat, her body couldn't carry on. And, just like that, Muhammad was alone again, six years old, no father, no mother, only memories.

Captain Suhail:

That's a storm no nest can prepare you for.

Zaki:

But the ache, the ache of those early losses, it never fully left. Still, somehow, the boy didn't close his heart, he kept it open. After his mother Aminah passed away at Al Abwa, Muhammad returned to Makkah and into the care of his grandfather, Abdul Mutalib. Now this wasn't just any grandfather. Abdul Mutalib was the leader of the Quraysh, the noblest tribe in Makkah.

Zaki:

People listened when he spoke, they followed when he led. He was strong, wise and full of dignity.

Captain Suhail:

A lion among men, they'd say, and not just for his beard.

Zaki:

He had many sons, 10 of them. One of them would become very special to Muhammad later on. His name was Abu Talib. But back then, Muhammad was just a small boy with big eyes, and Abdul Mutalib, he loved that boy like no other. Every morning Abdul Mutalib would sit beside the Kaaba, on a shaded mat laid out just for him.

Zaki:

No one else sat there, not even his grown sons.

Captain Suhail:

Not even the sons? That's sacred turf.

Zaki:

But for young Muhammad, he made an exception, always. He would call him over, place him beside him, even let him rest his head in his lap. The nobles of Makkah would raise their brows, but Abdul Mutalib would smile and say, Leave him. My grandson has a great future. For two more years, Muhammad was surrounded by love.

Zaki:

His grandfather made sure he was never far. He fed him from his plate, held his hand through the market, whispered ancient wisdom in his ear.

Captain Suhail:

That kind of love, it leaves an echo.

Zaki:

And it taught Muhammad what it meant to be dignified. What it meant to carry yourself with honor, even when your heart still ached. But then came another loss. At the age of eight, Abdul Mutalib passed away. Another wave, another anchor gone.

Zaki:

And once again, Muhammad's world shifted, but he wasn't left adrift. Before his death, Abdul Mutalib made a choice. He placed Muhammad in the care of one of his sons, not the wealthiest, not the most powerful, but the most trustworthy. Abu Talib. Yes, Abu Talib, the prophet's uncle, a man of quiet strength, a man who would raise Muhammad not just as a nephew, but as a son.

Zaki:

From this point on, Muhammad's journey would continue in the bustling household of Abu Talib, where he would learn even more about patience, humility, and what it means to love without limits.

Captain Suhail:

So many uncles, but one who stood tall beside him.

Zaki:

And others too, like Hamza, the brave, and Abbas, the watchful. All of them were a part of a story still unfolding. Seeds of love and loyalty, planted long before the world knew who he'd become. And still he walked forward. He did, into Abu Talib's home, A home full of children, full of noise, but also full of love.

Zaki:

It wasn't easy, but Abu Talib gave him what he could. Food, shelter, and the most important thing of all, loyalty. I wonder what he felt that first night in a new home. Did he lie awake? Did he stare at the ceiling, listening to a family that wasn't quite his, wondering where he fit in?

Zaki:

I remember a night like that. A few seasons ago, I got separated from my flock. We were migrating south and I I lingered behind, got caught in a crosswind. The others disappeared into the clouds. And suddenly, I was alone.

Zaki:

I landed in a strange valley, no nests, no familiar trees, just wind and stars. I perched on a cold branch and wrapped my wings around myself as tight as I could, but it didn't help. It never does. I remember thinking, what if I'm the only one left? What if no one's coming for me?

Zaki:

That night, I understood something, that even in a sky full of stars, you can feel completely alone.

Captain Suhail:

But you made it back.

Zaki:

I did. I don't even know how. Maybe it was instinct. Maybe it was a prayer. Maybe.

Zaki:

It was a bit of both. And I think that's what Muhammad, peace be upon him, did too. He kept flying, even when the skies were empty, even when the ground beneath him kept shifting. He trusted that Allah was still guiding him, even if it didn't always feel like it.

Captain Suhail:

That's not just survival, that's something deeper.

Zaki:

That's faith, the kind that doesn't shout or show off. Just walks forward, one small step at a time. You know what I keep thinking about?

Captain Suhail:

What's that, Lad?

Zaki:

That even after everything, losing his parents, then his grandfather, Muhammad never turned bitter. He never closed his heart. He didn't push people away. He stayed soft, open.

Captain Suhail:

That takes more strength than lifting a sail in a storm.

Zaki:

He trusted that Allah was still with him. And maybe that's what being truly strong means. Not that you're never lonely, but that you believe, even in the loneliest moment, that you're still being watched over, still being guided.

Captain Suhail:

Like wind beneath your wings, even when you can't feel it.

Zaki:

Exactly. And I guess all those people who stepped in, like Abdul Mutalib and Abu Talib, and later even Khadija, they weren't random. They were placed there. Not to replace the ones he lost, but to show him. He was never really alone.

Captain Suhail:

Mercy, hidden in the folds of sadness.

Zaki:

And maybe the same is true for us, maybe when the sky feels empty. Allah is just rearranging the stars. I don't think I'm afraid of being alone anymore because now I know, I never really was. You know, friends, I used to think that being strong meant you had to carry everything by yourself. That you had to flap your wings harder, fly farther, hide the ache in your chest and never let it show, but now I know, that's not true.

Zaki:

That's what I want to remember. That even when I feel alone, I'm never really alone, Allah is always with me. And He sends people, like Abu Talib, like Umayman, like you and me, to take care of one another.

Captain Suhail:

So what you're saying is if I feel lonely, I should go perch near a kind uncle with snacks.

Zaki:

That's not exactly what I'm saying, but it's not wrong either.

Captain Suhail:

A full beak and a warm wing can fix a lot of things, lad.

Zaki:

You might be onto something, Sohale. But really, friends, remember this. Even the smallest heart, even in the quietest corner is seen by Allah always. What a story, A boy who lost so much and still became a light for the whole world. It reminds me, and maybe you too, that even when things feel heavy, Allah is always near.

Zaki:

And every moment, even the hard ones, are shaping us for something beautiful. And don't go far, my friends, because next time we're heading to the hills. Yes. We'll see young Muhammad, peace be upon him, learning responsibility the good old fashioned way, herding sheep. There's a runaway lamb, a tricky cliff, and a lesson about true leadership you won't want to miss.

Captain Suhail:

I tried herding goats once. Turned around and they were hurting me. One of them stole my compass, never got it back. Sounds about right. I still have flashbacks.

Captain Suhail:

Hooves in every direction. The bleating. The bleating.

Zaki:

So get ready for wool wisdom and a little sheep saving action in our next episode.

Captain Suhail:

Leadership. Bah. I once led a flock of flamingos into a bakery, still not welcome in three cities.

Zaki:

You're unbelievable.

Captain Suhail:

Unbelievably effective, lad. The croissants were worth it.

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 Hussain. For more content by Meraj Digital, please visit our site at www.meraj.digital.

Copyright:

Content copyright and production copyright 2025 by Meraj Digital.