u/Own-Possible-9777

Assalamu Alaikum everyone,

I'm writing this because I genuinely don't know what my next step should be, and I'm hoping to seek advice from people who may have gone through something similar or who have knowledge of Islamic finance.

I live in the UAE, and around 9 months ago I lost my job after a very difficult experience with my previous employer. My visa was never properly processed, there were ongoing salary issues, and despite trying to resolve everything, I eventually found myself unemployed.

Up until then, I had always paid my bills and credit card payments on time. I never imagined I'd end up in this position.

Over the past 9 months, I've applied for hundreds of jobs, taken on freelance work where possible, started small baking projects, and tried creating different sources of halal income just to stay afloat.

Unfortunately, my savings eventually ran out, and I had to rely on my credit cards to cover basic living expenses. Today, that has grown into approximately AED 38,000 in credit card debt, and I honestly feel stuck.

The job market has been incredibly difficult. Many of the opportunities I'm finding now offer significantly less than what I was previously earning, to the point where the salary wouldn't realistically cover my living expenses and debt repayments. I want to work—I genuinely do—but I'm struggling to see a path that allows me to survive while also getting out of debt.

Unfortunately, I can't ask my family for financial help because they simply aren't in a position to support me.

I'm not posting this to ask anyone for money.

I'm looking for guidance.

From an Islamic perspective:

How should I deal with this debt?

If you've experienced financial hardship, what helped you recover?

Are there any duas, practices, or resources that brought you ease during difficult times?

What practical steps would you recommend to someone trying to rebuild while carrying significant debt?

I've been making dua every day and trying my best to remain patient, but I won't hide the fact that this has been one of the hardest periods of my life.

Any sincere advice would mean a great deal.

JazakAllahu Khair.

Assalamu Alaikum everyone! 🤍

I wanted to introduce a small family startup that my brother and I have been building called NOIR.

We're launching a premium freeze-dried coffee brand with a simple idea:

Coffee for the people who create after dark.

Instead of focusing on mornings, NOIR is built around night owls, students, creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone whose best ideas arrive after midnight.

We're starting with a direct-to-consumer online model, currently serving Mumbai and nearby cities, with the goal of expanding across India as we grow.

As a small startup, we're incredibly grateful for any support, feedback or introductions within the community.

We're also open to connecting with anyone interested in:

wholesale opportunities

international reselling

distribution partnerships

retail collaborations

If you're based outside India and have experience in retail or distribution, we'd love to have a conversation about bringing NOIR to your country in the future.

Most importantly, we'd love your duas as we begin this journey.

JazakAllahu Khair, and thank you for taking the time to read our story. 🤍☕

Hey everyone,

My brother and I have been quietly building a startup called NOIR, and after months of working on the branding, positioning and product, we're finally preparing to launch.

Rather than opening a café, we've decided to start with a direct-to-consumer (D2C) e-commerce model, allowing us to validate the product, build a loyal customer base and scale sustainably before exploring retail or physical locations.

NOIR isn't positioned as another "morning coffee" brand.

Our entire concept revolves around the people whose best work happens after dark—creatives, founders, developers, students and anyone whose ideas don't arrive between 9 and 5.

Our tagline is:

"We don't sell morning energy. We sell night clarity."

We're currently launching in Mumbai and nearby cities, with plans to expand across India and eventually internationally as we grow.

At this stage we're looking to connect with:

fellow founders

e-commerce operators

marketers

distribution partners

anyone who's built a consumer brand before

I'd genuinely appreciate any advice on scaling a D2C food & beverage brand, customer acquisition or lessons you've learned along the way.

Always happy to connect with fellow entrepreneurs. 🤍

Hey everyone!

My brother and I have been quietly building a small coffee brand called NOIR, and we're finally ready to share it.

Most coffee brands are built around mornings.

We wanted to do the opposite.

NOIR is made for the people who come alive after dark—the writers, designers, developers, students, gamers, creators, and overthinkers whose best ideas show up at 2 AM.

Our tagline is:

"We don't sell morning energy. We sell night clarity."

We're starting with premium freeze-dried coffee in small batches, with each flavour having its own identity instead of generic names.

Current collection:

🌙 After Dark

❤️ Scarlet

🖤 Midnight Crumble

🔥 Slow Burn

We're currently operating from Mumbai and delivering across Mumbai and nearby cities, with plans to expand across India as we grow.

To celebrate our launch, we're offering an exclusive discount to our first 50 customers through pre-orders.

More than sales, we're looking for early supporters who can try the coffee, give honest feedback, and help us shape the brand from the beginning.

If you're a coffee lover, a night owl, or simply curious about what we're building, we'd love to hear from you.

Happy to answer any questions about the product, branding, or our journey. ☕🤍

Hey everyone!

My brother and I have been quietly building a small coffee brand called NOIR, and we're finally ready to share it.

Most coffee brands are built around mornings.

We wanted to do the opposite.

NOIR is made for the people who come alive after dark—the writers, designers, developers, students, gamers, creators, and overthinkers whose best ideas show up at 2 AM.

Our tagline is:

"We don't sell morning energy. We sell night clarity."

We're starting with premium freeze-dried coffee in small batches, with each flavour having its own identity instead of generic names.

Current collection:

🌙 After Dark

❤️ Scarlet

🖤 Midnight Crumble

🔥 Slow Burn

We're currently operating from Mumbai and delivering across Mumbai and nearby cities, with plans to expand across India as we grow.

To celebrate our launch, we're offering an exclusive discount to our first 50 customers through pre-orders.

More than sales, we're looking for early supporters who can try the coffee, give honest feedback, and help us shape the brand from the beginning.

If you're a coffee lover, a night owl, or simply curious about what we're building, we'd love to hear from you.

Happy to answer any questions about the product, branding, or our journey. ☕🤍

My brother and I have been working on a small coffee startup and we're trying to figure out customer acquisition without relying heavily on ads.

We'd love to hear what worked for other founders.

Hi Ladies! ✨

Just wanted to ask a quick question for all the women based in Al Ain.

I'm a fellow woman living here, and I've been thinking of hosting small women only baking workshops, nothing too formal, just a cozy space to learn, bake, meet new people and have fun together.

Before I start planning, I wanted to see if there's any actual interest.

Would this be something you'd join? If yes, what kind of workshops do you enjoy?

I'd love to hear your thoughts! ❤️

Hellooo people, please give me some ideas how to make quick money. I'm a professional pastry chef but I recently lost my job and now I'm not working. I'm trying to start my bakery from home but I'm looking for side hustles and I really really really wanna treat myself soon😭 it's been a while..

Can anyone help me? I've got some bills to pay. If there's any job that I can do online, I'm ready. I just need some quick money asap.

Hi Ladies! ✨

Just wanted to ask a quick question for all the women based in Al Ain.

I'm a fellow woman living here, and I've been thinking of hosting small women only baking workshops, nothing too formal, just a cozy space to learn, bake, meet new people and have fun together.

Before I start planning, I wanted to see if there's any actual interest.

Would this be something you'd join? If yes, what kind of workshops do you enjoy?

I'd love to hear your thoughts! ❤️

I’ve been living and working as a pastry chef in the UAE for almost 6 years, and I’ve never seen the market this bad. I’ve been hunting for 6 months with zero real traction.The standard right now is shocking—places want Head Chef expertise but are offering Demi Chef salaries, or they expect you to work without providing a visa. How is anyone supposed to survive like this? 😭

I really need to secure something soon. Since full-time roles are scarce, I am also looking for consultant projects. I can handle R&D, menu development, staff training, and concept development.If anyone has any leads, connections, or freelance gigs in the F&B space, I would be incredibly grateful. Please DM me.

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Looking to connect with investors interested in the F&B space.

I'm currently helping an established café and bakery brand explore expansion opportunities and thought Reddit might be a good place to connect with the right people.

The business has been operating successfully since 2020 with existing locations in Dubai and Sharjah. It's a cozy, London-inspired bakery and specialty coffee concept with a strong brand identity and proven operating model.

They're now looking for the right investor or strategic partner to support expansion through a franchise opportunity. Investment range is approximately AED 1–2 million.

If you're genuinely interested in hospitality, cafés, or franchise investments in the UAE, feel free to send me a DM. Happy to connect you with the founders and share more details.

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My husband and I have been married for almost 8 months now. We've been living a life where our bills are paid. It's cut to cut. I lost my job so I haven't been able to help him much financially but he's supposed to take care of me I feel it's husband's responsibility. I did support him for almost a year when he wasn't working before marriage. I even got him a car. Ugh okay none of this necessary. Coming to the point. My husband hides things from me. I caught him once before and he apologized.. it really broke me and I wanted to end the marriage but I stayed. I wanted to give him a second chance cause I love him. But he's hiding things again and I think I can't trust him anymore, especially with what happened now. I feel so hurt. I know I shouldn't go through his phone but he's hiding about his earnings. We both work in hospitality and he's a manager for a cafe. He told me a guest tipped him some money and now that "we are not so broke" but he said it was only a 100 I was like okay at least something.. but today he was just buying things without being conscious of money. Mind you my husband is very calculative. In fact he was feeling so generous that he got me 4 bottles of perfume. And I know his salary is less. We are literally living mouth to mouth. He always says he doesn't have money and after buying perfumes for me he goes like I'm broke now I don't have anything.. I was like why did you even buy then. I hate that feeling. I never asked him to. But that's not the thing. Ughhh I feel so bad for checking his phone but he's lying to me. I can't anymore. Idk who tf was that guy or girl but it wasn't a 100 but a 1000 and he just couldn't tell me. I don't even ask him for money. I don't want his money. I just want him to be honest with me. That's all I want. I know it might be a small thing but it hurts... Because I'm here trying to be there for him. From being so independent I'm trying to settle for him but he just lies to my face. It hurts bad. I don't know how long I can take this.

I'm in one of those phases where I randomly get obsessed with things for no reason (only for a short period of time)

Doesn't matter if it's sketching, reading, or looking at the sky.

You have one chance to sell it to me 😂 the more random, the better. I have genuinely no criteria at this point.

I have the attention span of a gold fish so please help 😭😂