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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! ✨
Captain Suhail, quick. Get in here. They're coming.
Captain Suhail:I told you this wouldn't work, Zaki.
Captain Suhail:Zaki, no good ever came from hiding inside a giant woven date basket.
Zaki:This is exactly how the early Muslims hid from the Quraysh before making their escape. It's called immersion storytelling. It's called sitting in a fruit hamper like a confused raisin.
Noora:Why is the date basket breathing?
Zaki:See? The element of surprise. That's historical empathy, Nunu. Or perhaps just indigestion.
Noora:You scared the feathers off me. Wait. Are you reenacting another story?
Zaki:Precisely. The story of the Muslims who had to flee Makkah and seek safety in Abyssinia.
Captain Suhail:I I once sought refuge myself from a storm of a 100 seagulls with salt crusted tempers.
Zaki:Captain Suhail, but you are a seagull too.
Captain Suhail:Aye. Exactly. And I still didn't get asylum. The barnacles claimed I was too loud for nesting season. Can you imagine that?
Zaki:Meraj Digital presents: The Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe Season two, Episode 18 A Plea Before a King
Zaki:Salaam, my amazing friends. It's me, Zaki the Hoopoe, and I've got a question for you.
Noora:Oh, mystery question. I love mystery questions.
Zaki:Have you ever felt out of place? Like you didn't quite belong and just wished someone would understand you? I once wandered into a puffin parliament by mistake. Let's just say it got awkward. Today's story is about people who were treated badly just because of what they believed.
Zaki:They had to leave their homes and hope a stranger in a faraway land would take them in.
Noora:That sounds scary.
Zaki:It was. But sometimes when things are hardest, a door opens in the most unexpected place.
Captain Suhail:And sometimes the door is locked and you crash beak first into it. Crack.
Noora:That actually happened last week.
Zaki:So flap in close, my friends, because this is a story about faith, courage, and a king who listened. Makkah was not a safe place for the early Muslims. They were mocked, blocked from markets, hurt in the streets. Some were even tortured just for saying, But
Noora:that's not fair.
Zaki:It wasn't, Nunu. The prophet Muhammad saw how much his followers were suffering, especially those without powerful families to protect them.
Captain Suhail:I when storms brew, even the smallest bird needs shelter.
Zaki:So the prophet gave them a message. He told them, go to Abyssinia. There is a king there who does not wrong anyone, a Christian king, a just king in a land far across the desert and the sea. And who led them? None other than Jafar ibn Abi Talib.
Zaki:Do you know who that is?
Noora:Wait, Ali's big brother?
Zaki:That's right. Cousin of the prophet. Brave, kind and wise, Jafar was trusted to lead the group. He wasn't just a leader, he was family.
Captain Suhail:Blood thicker than brine, as we say on the coast. Except when someone drinks all the coconut water.
Zaki:With only their faith to guide them, the Muslims cross the burning deserts of Arabia, riding by day, hiding by night. Their feet blistered, their lips cracked, but they didn't turn back. And then the sea. The great Red Sea. Deep, blue, wide as the sky.
Captain Suhail:Fun fact, kids. The Red Sea isn't actually red. Tis indeed blue. You wouldn't believe the shock I felt when I first saw it.
Noora:Did they know how to sail?
Captain Suhail:If they had asked a certain legendary seagull captain, they might have had smoother winds.
Zaki:They boarded merchant ships praying for safety and by the grace of Allah, they made it. Abyssinia and at its heart, a palace unlike any they had seen. Grand columns, high windows, guards in fine armor. And the king? Waiting on his throne, ready to hear why strangers from Arabia had come seeking protection.
Captain Suhail:Feathers and figs, it's about to begin.
Zaki:The Muslims stood in the grand hall of An Najashi, the Christian king of Abyssinia. He wore a robe of fine cloth, and his crown shimmered in the soft morning light. But it wasn't gold or guards that made him special. It was justice. Was.
Zaki:An Najashi followed and believed in prophet Isa. But they called him Jesus, and like true Christians, he believed in one God, just as the Muslims did. But, he didn't know what Islam really was.
Captain Suhail:And I wager this will be the wrong day for first impressions.
Zaki:So Jafar ibn Abi Talib, cousin of the prophet and big brother to Ali stepped forward. Calm, brave, a leader not just by blood, but by heart. Jafar spoke of what life had been like before Islam, how people worshiped idols and treated the weak like dirt, how the prophet had brought light and justice, commanding truthfulness, kindness, and prayer, and how they had been chased out of their homes for believing in one God.
Noora:He told all that in front of everyone?
Zaki:Every word with courage, with calm, with truth. Feather me starboard. That's bold that is. And then they arrived. The Quraysh.
Zaki:The Quraysh had chased the Muslims across deserts and oceans, and now here they were, cloaked in fine fabric, pretending to be noble, but full of anger. They stood before the king and claimed the Muslims were rebels, that they mocked their fathers, that they had insulted their gods, Lot, Uzza, and Manat. They wanted An Najashi to send the Muslims back to punishment.
Noora:That's not fair. They didn't do anything wrong.
Captain Suhail:Don't need swords to stab truth, Nunu. Just loud lies and fancy cloaks.
Zaki:Jaafur stood tall. He explained they weren't trying to cause trouble. They were only trying to live in peace, to worship the one God, the God of Ibrahim and Isa. But Anajashi furrowed his brow. His heart was kind, but his ears had heard many things, and he didn't yet understand the difference between what the Muslims believed and what he had grown up believing.
Zaki:He looked upon Jafir, upon the tired faces of the refugees, and then he spoke. He would not grant them asylum.
Noora:What? No.
Zaki:Not because he was cruel, not because he hated them, but because he was confused. He needed understand. And Jauffer had just one more chance to explain. If he's going to turn
Captain Suhail:the tide, now's the time.
Zaki:In that moment, the world held its breath. The king, a Najashi, had heard both sides. The Quraysh with their wealth and power, and the Muslims with only their truth.
Captain Suhail:A truth can be small, lad, but it can shine like a lighthouse in the dark.
Zaki:And then Jafar stepped forward again. No crown, no sword, just his words, just his heart. O king, we honor Isa, the son of Miriam. We believe in him and in the miracles Allah gave him, that he healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, that he was born to a woman pure and chosen. The court grew quiet.
Zaki:Even the wind outside seemed to pause. But we do not call him the son of God. We say what Isa said, that he is a servant of Allah, a messenger, a word breathed into Maryam by his command. Jafar spoke of Maryam's pain, her courage, the birth beneath the palm tree. He spoke of Isa's first words as a baby.
Zaki:I am servant of Allah.
Noora:He he said that when he was a baby?
Zaki:Yes. And as Jafar spoke, Anajashi leaned forward. His eyes filled, not with doubt, but with understanding, with light. A light that flickers only when the truth touches the heart. A tear ran down the king's cheek, then another.
Zaki:He turned to the court and said, By Allah, what you have said and what we believe comes from the same light.
Noora:He believed them?
Zaki:He did. Because the truth, when spoken with love, can cross oceans. Then with a voice as steady as stone, Anajashi turned to the Quraysh. He told them their gifts would not buy injustice, that the Muslims were free, that no one would harm them here.
Captain Suhail:May the stars guide him. That's a king with a compass in his soul.
Zaki:The Muslims wept with joy. For the first time in years, they were safe. In a land far from home, a Christian king had opened his arms to Muslim strangers.
Noora:He gave them a home and hope.
Zaki:And he gave the world a moment that still shines like a lantern in history. Uncle Zaki, that was beautiful. It was, Nunu.
Noora:So even though they believed different things, Anujashi listened with his heart?
Zaki:Yes. He didn't just hear Jafer's words, he understood them. He saw their faith, their honesty, and their courage. He didn't need proof, or gold, or power. Just truth and kindness.
Zaki:Sometimes the biggest changes begin with one person who chooses to do what's right instead of what's easy.
Noora:I think I know the lesson. Tell me. That we should always speak the truth even when it's scary, and always stand up for people even if they don't believe exactly what we do.
Zaki:No. No. That's exactly it.
Captain Suhail:I and let it be known, If I ever become king of a faraway land, I shall grant refuge to all brave souls, truthful parrots, and any pigeon with a decent pie recipe. Captain Sohail. I mean it. No liars, no idol worship, but yes to pie.
Noora:What if the pie is lying?
Captain Suhail:Then it shall be banished to the sea.
Zaki:So my amazing friends, in the land of Abyssinia, the Muslims found safety, not because they fought, but because they stood for the truth, with dignity, with heart, and with faith.
Noora:And because one king listened.
Zaki:And next time, we'll meet another seeker, not a king, but a traveler. A wanderer chasing truth across deserts, temples, and miles of mystery.
Noora:Oh, is it someone with a map?
Captain Suhail:If there is no treasure at the end, I'm demanding a refund.
Zaki:But for now, remember, wherever you are, no matter how far from home, Allah's truth can guide you, and one honest voice can change everything.
Captain Suhail:I once gave a speech so moving, a crab pinched its own claws in applause.
Noora:That didn't happen.
Captain Suhail:You weren't there. It was a very emotional cre
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.