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Yemen. 2023. In one of the poorest countries in the world, with civil war raging, life isn\\u2019t exactly easy, and most days the fishermen return with barely enough to live off, let alone to sell.

But fisherman\\u2019s son Yusuf is an eternal optimist, and dreamer, who keeps the community\\u2019s spirits high with tales of whales and his dreams of the Gulf\\u2019s glorious past. Plus, he\\u2019s secretly in love with his best friend. But when disaster strikes, and Yusuf\\u2019s optimism is tested to the limit, he ends up at sea in the strangest of scenarios.

A heart-warming tale of faith, hope and rizq (the Islamic concept that Allah is responsible for all sustenance provided to us).

CAST\\nYusuf ..... Bilal Hasna\\nZulaikha ..... Danusia Samal\\nFatima ..... Sirine Saba\\nKhaled ..... Stewart Scudamore\\nAbdo ..... Fayez Bakhsh\\nNabil/Mahdi ..... Yassine Mkhichen

Written by maatin\\nDirected by Anne Isger\\nSound by Pete Ringrose and Ali Craig\\nA BBC Audio Production for BBC Radio 4.

An EcoAudio certified production

About the writer:\\nmaatin is a London-based playwright who focuses on Muslim storytelling. In 2023, maatin's play Duck was performed at the Arcola, following a run at Jermyn Street Theatre. His play Friday at the masjid was selected for the RSC 37 Plays project, and longlisted for the The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2022 and the Soho Theatre\\u2019s Verity Bargate Award 2022. Previously, his work was nominated for the Edinburgh TV Festival\\u2019s New Voice Awards 2021 and longlisted for BBC Comedy Room 2020. He was selected for the Hampstead Theatre\\u2019s INSPIRE Programme 2020/21.