Salaam, my amazing friends.
Ramadan Mubarak.
It's the month of fasting, kindness, and extra duas.
And heroic hunger.
It's not a battle, Captain.
Tell that to my stomach.
Ramadan is when little good deeds grow big.
Even sharing one date.
Outrageous generosity.
And extra patience.
Parents, you found it.
The perfect place for your kids to learn real stories about the Prophet.
And we're so happy you're spending Ramadan with us.
May your iftar be legendary.
And to anyone who asks you, not even water.
No, same answer as last year.
You have to balance them perfectly.
The red cup goes on top because it's the guest cup.
Are we stacking tea cups for a reason?
It's a tea tower for guests.
It shows we're respectful.
Respectful.
Poofed.
In my day, we greeted guests with a fish and a warning.
What kind of warning?
That if they touched the captain's raisins, they'd walk the plank politely.
Well, I think showing respect is in the small things.
Like remembering where the guest sits.
And not putting anchovies in the welcome pie.
I'm not even going to ask.
Tea towers breached.
All hands on sugar.
Mirage Digital presents The Amazing Stories with Zaki the Hoopoe, Season 3, Episode 6 The Children of Medina.
As-salamu alaykum, explorers.
Walaikum Assalam, Uncle Zaki.
Permission to report one tea tower completely demolished.
Ah, the noble art of breakfast architecture.
Hey, Uncle Zucky, did the prophet ever spend time with kids in Medina?
Oh, yes.
He didn't just spend time with them.
He honored them.
Did he let them sail the spice routes or at least swab the deck?
Not quite, but he gave them something stronger than ropes and sails.
He gave them dignity.
Theme of the day.
Today's theme is simple even the smallest action can make someone feel seen, respected and loved, like smiling or saying salaam first.
Exactly the prophet taught with actions, and his actions told children you matter.
I once nodded at a jellyfish and it stung me anyway.
Well, he wasn't from Medina.
Let's begin.
Chapter One, Say Salaam First.
In Medina, the Prophet never ignored a child.
If he saw them playing in the streets or walking with their families or sitting in the shade of a wall, he would stop just for them.
Wait, he stopped for them?
He didn't just stop.
He said salaam before they could.
He was the first to greet them cheerfully, with full attention, as if saying I see you, you are part of this ummah too.
Even if they were small? especially if they were small.
One day, a group of children spotted him coming.
They all stood up, excited, ready to call out.
But before they could say a word, the prophet called out first, As-salamu alaykum.
He beat them to it.
Yes.
He taught that the one who says salam first gets more reward.
So it's like a kindness race.
Exactly.
No shoving.
No shouting.
Just a quiet race.
To be the one who spreads peace first.
I once shouted salam at a mountain.
It echoed back ten times.
I claim all the rewards.
Uh, that's not how echoes work.
Tell that to the mountain.
Chapter 2.
Listen for others' feelings.
In Medina, one of the Prophet's favorite times was leading the prayer.
He stood at the front of the Masjid.
Behind him, rows of believers, standing shoulder to shoulder, calm, still, focused.
And then, from the back of the Masjid, it happened.
A baby began to cry.
A short, sudden sound.
Maybe the baby was hungry, maybe just scared, but everyone heard it.
And the Prophet did not ignore it.
He didn't get upset?
No, not even a little.
He didn't pause.
He didn't sigh.
He didn't hurry like someone annoyed.
He simply shortened the prayer.
Just enough that the mother could comfort her baby.
Why would he do that?
Because he knew the mother would be worried.
And because mercy mattered more to him than length.
Afterward, he told them, I heard the baby cry and I knew it would distress the mother.
So I shortened the prayer.
He didn't need a sign or someone to ask.
He just noticed.
Exactly.
He noticed and he acted.
That's what it means to lead with mercy.
So being kind isn't just saying nice things.
It's paying attention?
Right.
Kindness begins with listening to what someone else might be feeling, even if they don't say it out loud.
Like when Nora stares at the cookie tin for 20 minutes without blinking.
I wasn't staring.
I was respectfully considering.
And I respectfully noticed.
The prophet taught us that mercy isn't a feeling.
It's a choice, a moment, a decision to care.
I suppose that's why I always check on my crew during storms, even the parrots.
Good captains and good leaders have something in common.
Fabulous huts?
No, soft hearts.
Chapter Three, Include Everyone With Respect.
In Medina, when it was time to pray, the prophet would stand at the front and behind him came the people, every kind of person old men with long beards merchants workers, mothers with small children, boys still learning how to stand in a straight line.
And the prophet welcomed all of them, not just with words, with space.
Even the ones who didn't know how to stand properly?
Yes, especially them.
He didn't treat children like they were in the way.
He didn't say, not now or go home.
He placed them in the rows, straightened their shoulders with his own hands.
To the prophet, prayer wasn't just about movements.
It was about togetherness.
One day a small boy kept stepping out of line, leaning to the side, off balance.
Some people frowned, but the prophet just walked over, smiled, and gently fixed his posture.
He didn't scold.
He didn't sigh.
He helped.
So he didn't expect kids to be perfect?
No.
He expected the community to include the kids as they were.
That's the kind of medina he built.
A medina where everyone mattered, whether they were scholars or someone still learning how to stand still.
I once tried to include a jellyfish in my crew.
Gave it a job.
Official title, Chief Wiggler.
And how did that work out?
We never made it to the shore.
But the jellyfish felt included.
True.
Right before it floated into the biscuit tin.
Inclusion isn't about control, it's about dignity .
The Prophet didn't give children authority, but he gave them respect, the kind that makes you want to grow better.
So, if someone's too shy to join a game, or too small to reach the table... Then you bring them in.
You make space.
You help them stand tall.
Even if they're wobbly?
Especially then.
Suppose next time I'll let the littlest sailor ring the prayer bell.
That might be the wisest thing you've ever said.
Don't tell the seagulls.
They'll get ideas.
Feathers of Wisdom Okay, Uncle Zucky.
I think I know what today was about.
Let's hear it.
Was it that the prophet loved kids?
Yes.
He did, but it wasn't just love.
Hmm, was it about how he showed love?
Yes, and what do you think that looked like?
He said salam first, even to kids.
Right, a greeting full of peace, offered before being asked.
And he noticed the crying baby.
He changed the prayer.
That's like emotional radar.
I once tried emotional radar.
Turns out it was just a spoon glued to a compass.
Uh, did it work?
Only for soup.
So maybe the prophet's secret wasn't just being kind, but being first to show it?
That's a beautiful way to put it.
First to greet.
First to notice.
First to make space.
That's the kind of first worth racing for.
Okay.
I'm writing that down.
Feathers of wisdom.
Lesson one.
Be the first to show care.
Lesson two.
Never glue a spoon to your compass.
Noted.
Feathers up.
Scroll down.
I think the people of Medina would be proud.
Especially the smallest ones.
And that's our journey for today.
From salams to shoulders to seagulls.
I feel like I stood taller just hearing it.
We'll be back next week with another story from Medina.
Ah, hopefully one with fewer jellyfish and more biscuits of justice.
What exactly is a biscuit of justice?
Soft in the middle, firm on the edges, served warm with a spoon of fairness.
This story was produced by Mirage Digital.
Voices provided by Wayne Holland as Zucky and Curtis Fletcher as Captain Sohail.
Episode written, directed, and edited by Syed Kashf and Atef Hussein.
For more content by Mirage Digital, please visit our site at www.mirage.digital.
Content copyright and production copyright.
2026 by Mirage Digital.
