Born in Cairo in 1896 ,Zakareya Ahmed was one of the great composers of his age,He song some of Umm Kulthoum's songs in his own voice.

He was affected by his father who was fond of Arabic songs. Having obtained his primary certificate, he joined al-Azhar and mastered reciting the holy Qur'an. Due to his deep love for singing, he joined Sheikh Ali Mahmoud's and Ismail Sukkar's troupes.

He then shifted musical composition in 1919 – 1922. But in 1924 he turned to the musical theatre.

He composed about 60 songs for Umm Kulthoum alone. He cooperated with the poet Beiram al-Tunsi in many of his works.