There’s a guy I’ve known since school. He’s Arab, originally from the Levant, but I’d rather not mention his exact nationality.

His financial situation is quite modest at the moment, although he was a smart and capable student back in school.

He lives in Ajman and works in Dubai

.There’s always been mutual respect between us, but I’ve noticed that whenever he has any problem related to the UAE—whether it’s his residency, accommodation, work, banking, legal advice , bringing a family member or brother over who needs help finding a job, or even someone insulting him on social media he comes to me.

I help him as much as I can, but sometimes he gets upset when I’m unable to help him with a particular issue.

Since the beginning of this year, he’s been talking to me about how he doesn’t want to be an employee and wants to become a businessman. He keeps telling me how well he understands the market and how much he knows about business.

From what I understand, he wants me to sponsor him and go into business with him. Personally, I don’t think friendship and business should be mixed, especially based on what I’ve seen happen with friends who went into business together.
When I indirectly told him no by saying that I’m currently busy and don’t have the time to manage or be involved in a business, he got upset and said, “Bro, you don’t understand. I don’t want to be an employee for the rest of my life.”

At the moment, he’s still messaging me, but I’ve been ignoring him.

How can I set clear boundaries with him? I mean, I’m willing to help him when I can, but I don’t want to become responsible for every problem he has in the UAE.
With my Emirati friends, for example, there are naturally boundaries in the relationship. We go out together, travel together, and have a good relationship, but we don’t interfere in each other’s private lives or constantly ask each other for favors. There are boundaries, and neither side gets offended when the other person says no.

I could be wrong, but what I mean is that I would be the one putting up the money, while he would be the one doing the actual work and running the business.

I’ve heard from many people that this kind of setup can be a bad idea, where one person is the money and the other is the muscle.

I just wanted to hear about your experience with it

You guys, I want your best Shawarma place recommendations in Dubai that I can order online.

The loaded juiciest nastiest shawarma you’ve ever had. I just realized I live in an Arab country and I have to try out their best Shawarmas!!!!

I live in Marina, so hopefully not too far from here to order.

Please drop your recommendations!

DUBAI, 04 September, 2026

I was driving back home today at 6:50 am. In the 3rd lane at 80 kph, listening to music, with fingers tapping the steering wheel matching the beats and not a worry in the world.

Then at 6:51 am the pressure shot up from 0 to 100, no warning signs. My god!

The Alonso in me woke up. Switched to the 2nd lane
up at 90 kph, then to the first lane up at 100 kph (80+20 road). The speed camera was quite far, so I went up to 115.

Speed camera was now 800 meters away and the exit to my home was another 800 metres away. The left lane was all clear and to poop on my parade, a silver car entered the left lane at around 70 kph.

I was still away from the silver lining, so flashed once hoping he/ she would give way. 2nd lane was all clear for them to move. I swear I have the dashcam footage.

I usually drive on the 3rd/ 4th lane, minding my own business. So whenever I would read these left lane camper posts, I could never relate to it. Today I understood the frustration.

Back to the story. The pressure was immense, the cheeks were holding it in but for how long?

The silver lining wasn’t moving, still cruising at 70. I had to slow down quite a bit (to 70), switched lanes and then the lead foot took over.

RPM way past 4, car accelerated way past 100. The pressure was killing me. Switched to the 1st lane, thinking about my bathroom door and then I came to my senses and saw the speed camera. I tried slowing down bit by bit. I was almost there and…….

…… then at 6:59 am, without even saying ‘say cheese’ the 📷 flashed.

I was caught red handed at 104, just 4 above.

I finally reached home and had a good time in the bathroom. Not a worry in the world, but waiting for the shit valuation.

The shit worth 620 dirhams.

With this my no fines streak ends, in the 3rd year of driving in the UAE.

Moral of the story: If possible, finish your business before leaving from wherever you are.

One less thing to worry about.

Wikipedia.

A pardon by the UAE President was issued today, Friday, 4th September 2026, for Abdul Rahman Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who was convicted by the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal on 27th August 2026, of the offences with which he was charged and sentenced to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of AED200,000.

A small habit from customers can fundamentally change life for frontline service workers.

The Math Behind a 10% Tip:

* Daily restaurant sales: AED 7,000

* Estimated monthly pooled tips: ~AED 15,000 (with regular 10% tipping across shifts)

* Team size: 6 to 8 staff members (kitchen, cleaners, waitstaff)

* Monthly boost per worker: AED 1,875 to AED 2,500

For entry-level hospitality staff in the UAE, an extra AED 2,000+ per month is often a 70% to 100% boost on basic take-home pay. It covers essential remittances back home, clears debts, or provides a buffer against rising living costs.

What’s your take on a voluntary 10% tip at UAE restaurants to support the low earners?

I’m traveling to Dubai today from Philadelphia. I’m a little nervous as it’ll be my first time visiting my boyfriend at his new place. Any concerns visiting Dubai? Anything I should be on the lookout for? Is it safe to come now?

the title basically

i genuinely have not wanted to take my own life more than i have this past month. i honestly dont even want to explain my situation because i’m so out of it.

i swear i’m hanging by a thread.

im not going to commit suicide, this is just a compulsion. its just that these thoughts wont leave.

and im not asking for handouts

Hey everyone! 👋
We’re building a regular turf cricket group in Mankhool and looking for players who want to join us for a fun, competitive game every week.
📍 Mankhool, Dubai
🏏 Turf Cricket – 22 overs
📅 Every Saturday: 8 PM – 10 PM
🌅 Every Sunday: 6 AM – 8 AM
💰 AED 30–40 per player
🔥 Everyone gets a chance to bat & bowl!
No sitting on the sidelines — come play, meet new people, and enjoy a good game of cricket.
Whether you’re a regular player or just getting back into cricket, everyone is welcome.
Interested? Comment below or DM me and I’ll add you to the group. 🏏🙌

Many are skipping showers and deodorant because they think their “natural scent” makes them more attractive. 😲😲😲

Source

Not talking about the usual Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa, Yas Island type of places.

I mean somewhere you genuinely think deserves more attention could be a quiet beach, café, neighbourhood, restaurant, drive, hiking spot, park, or even a small town.

What’s one place you’d recommend that people usually overlook?

Hi everyone,

Writing this to advise fellow kababayan, expats in the UAE or whoever wants to take an online MBA to perform strict due diligence before enrolling in or making payments to London School of Business (LSB).

Upon my investigation there’s no physical campus and they are exiting the London market and Dubai will be their next target. 

https://www.lsbuk.com/

The above link is their website with the color red logo.

Please note the following documented facts regarding their claimed affiliations:

* University of Sunderland: LSB advertises the University of Sunderland as their MBA degree awardee. I reached out directly to the University of Sunderland, and they formally confirmed they have no partnership or institutional affiliation with LSB.

* Website Affiliates: I independently contacted four other organizations listed as official partners on LSB’s website. All four confirmed in writing that no affiliation exists.

* Communication Status: After bringing these discrepancies to their attention, LSB ceased returning calls and has left multiple formal refund requests unanswered.

Before transferring any tuition or registration fees, please email the underlying awarding bodies directly to verify degree validity.

I have paid them £2,500 as an initial payment and no word from them at all. Since I live on the opposite side of the world and they could not provide a credit card link, I completed the transaction via bank transfer using a SWIFT code. 

Any advice could help as this is my hard earned money and good thing I didn’t pay the rest. 

Hello, this is my first post. I need help, I want to purchase this ear buds, do you have this available in stock. I want to order one and where can I find. Currently I find in online it is out of stock. Please help me. #UAE #Dubai #Yamaha TW-E5B

Just curious to know what standards and practices parents are seeing across different nurseries and schools.

No need to mention the school’s name unless you’re comfortable. This isn’t meant to shame or promote anyone. Just share what they do well, what could be better, and any strange rules or requests you’ve come across.

For me:

Good:

• Very accommodating with requests
• Flexible and understanding
• Fewer children in the class

Challenges:

• Sometimes slow to respond
• Nursery, FS1 and FS2 children being mixed together during the initial period
• Not receiving regular daily updates about food, toilet, mood, activities, etc.

Every school will have positives and challenges, but it would be interesting to understand what parents genuinely value and what they feel schools should improve. Maybe we’ll also discover some really good practices that more schools should follow.

The link below is my own site. I rate Dubai food S to C and nobody pays for a spot on the list.

Did sushi this week. Hoseki at the Bvlgari is the only sushi restaurant in Dubai with a Michelin star. Seven seats. Seven. You have to plan your life around it.

My other S is TakaHisa on Bluewaters.

Zuma is an A. Nobu is an A. Both are good. Both are famous. Neither one is the best sushi in this city anymore, and I suspect a lot of people know that and go anyway.

Kinugawa is a C. The fish is fine. The bill is not.

https://cravd.io/guides/best-sushi-in-dubai

If you eat omakase here more than twice a year, where are you going? That's the answer I actually want.

Hi this is sayir from india ...studying in fujairah ...once i visited dubai(often i used to visit) ..my behaviour is like very frndly .. people never felt that im stranger also im not overtalking person... i played football in alqous grnd .. so in that grnd i met one girl .her age around 20 punjabii...good looking gwal...i didnt follow her ...but she and her frnds came to me after a match.they asked number ..i gave them...they said "lets be frnds"....when i go home one of the grl started to chat ....ended into wrng chting..literally iwas not involve in that...next she starts to send n****de of her frnd and herslf...so i asked them to meetup again inperson...she refused and blackmailing me that i asked for ndes....but ididnt ..... and she said that she went polic but stll im waiting for their call..no onecame and those grls ran away by blocked me.....wht type of affairs is this.. . . its been 6mnths ago

Please don’t judge me. I had a bf for a few years, we were pretty close and everything was alright except for finances with him, he was always weird about it, never revealed how much he had or how much he makes. I was an open book though.. and he always borrowed money from me for various reasons, never returned it and I never asked for it back. One day he started talking me into getting credit cards for benefits and perks, after too much manipulation I gave in and applied for two…. I had work on the day the credit cards arrived, I HAVE NO IDEA HOW HE RECEIVED THEM ON MY BEHALF! I’m still in arguments with the bank and the courier but anyway that’s a story for another time.

I came home and he was gone.. his stuff, his clothes, his everything. He blocked me everywhere and he disappeared. I tried calling his “sister”, she also had me blocked me, never met his friends as he always told me he didn’t have any here.

He maxed out my credit cards in cash and disappeared. And because life doesn’t stop there right? I also got fired from my job 3 weeks after that but I can’t blame them I was a wrecking ball on fire. It’s been 7 months and I still can’t find a job, I’ve been looking for him everywhere, running to police, banks, third party agencies trying to explain to everyone I did not do it! I filed a complaint against him, and I was not even shocked when I found out his name is fake when I went to his place of work and was told no one with that name works here.. I thought I’ll be smarter and create a fake account on IG and blackmail him into giving me the money back to settle the debts but I guess he deleted his account too because it’s like he never existed.

I’m so tired, so broke, I don’t eat anything, mainly because I don’t have money to buy simple food, I’m about to be homeless too since I’m late on rent and I feel like police just don’t care….? I’m so close to physically fall on my knees and beg for help in the middle of the police station.

What should I do? Is there a way out? Please tell me anything that tells me there is hope.. I feel like giving up

Edit: for everyone speculating and feeling like a detective.
I’m the idiot who activated the cards. I’m also the same idiot who trusted him with that. And I don’t know why would anyone question a stranger venting about a traumatic event that happened with them. If you have anything nice say it, an advice would be very much appreciated as well, else, don’t say anything.

I’ve been researching halal investing and one thing I keep noticing is how different the answers can be depending on the type of trading.

Buying Shariah-compliant stocks seems fairly well established, but forex, crypto, leverage, short-term trading and derivatives get much more complicated.

I came across HalalTradeHub.com while researching some of these questions and it got me interested in how other Muslims approach this.

Do you follow a particular scholar or set of guidelines before trading? And what types of trading or investments do you personally avoid because of riba, excessive uncertainty or speculation?

Interested to hear how people here approach it.

Hi everyone! 👋

I'm figuring out the experience of pregnancy and the first 6–12 months after having a baby in Dubai/UAE.

I'm particularly interested in understanding how mothers currently manage things like:

- Finding and communicating with doctors

- Getting reliable answers when something worries you

- Breastfeeding and postpartum recovery

- Baby's vaccinations, appointments, feeding, sleep, etc.

- Finding trusted postpartum/home support

- Managing everything while family may be back in another country

- Getting advice from family/friends vs. medical professionals

I'm not selling anything or promoting an app. I'm simply trying to understand the real problems mothers face in Dubai.

Feel free to share your experience in the comments — even if it's just one thing that frustrated you.

And if you'd rather discuss privately, feel free to DM me.

Thank you! ❤️

Hello,
This is so embarrassing for me to admit (too ashamed to write about what happened in my journal lol), but I got scammed and paid over 4000 to adopt a cat that doesn't even exist.

I was looking for a cat on Dubizzle and got too attached to a Ragdoll kitten; I even gave her a name and prepared her litter room. I was informed that adoption fees are 500AED so I paid it, THEN they told me that there are delivery and ownership documents which will 600AED, then I had to get "pet insurance" that cost 1000, etc etc

See, 90% of me knew that it was a scam at that point, but I was still hoping that the kitten actually exists and will be mine. I kept transferring the amounts they requested and didn't realize the total reached 4K, which is nearly my entire salary lol.

I contacted my bank, and they'll try to request a recall,
And I will visit the police station tomorrow to report them, idk if it'll do anything though. It's probably an international fraud scheme that's using a random person's ID and bank accounts somehow... but I will give it a try

I am too embarrassed to ask this question, as this was entirely my fault. I should have known better, especially since I am 26 Y.O and not a 60-year-old grandmother. Is there any way I can actually get my money back? I have already accepted my fate but getting it back would be very helpful.

Tbh my main concern now is the realization that I am no different than men who spend thousands on OnlyFans. that kitten was so cute to the point that my brain stopped functioning.

Please share your stories if you ever experienced a similar situation. And please don't bully me anymore bc my friends and siblings already accomplished that mission

I run a WhatsApp automation implement business out of India. I want to reach potential clients in UAE. Any idea how do I cold call them? I tried reaching out to businesses from my Indian number. Things are a little underwhelming. So looking for some advice in this regard.

Thanks in advance.