Umar Faraz Gul
Stories (9)
Filter by community
I Tried Living Like a Billionaire for a Week (on a $100 Budget)
Let’s be honest: most of us have daydreamed about what it’d be like to be a billionaire. To wake up in silk pajamas, sip coffee made by a private chef, and send emails to assistants about yacht upgrades. I can’t afford that life — not even close — but I had an idea:
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Education
The Day I Found Out My Grandfather Was a Spy
I always thought my grandfather was just a quiet man with a love for crossword puzzles and gardening. He wasn’t the kind of person who talked too much, but when he did, it was with purpose. I was fifteen when he passed away, and though I grieved like any grandson would, I had no idea that the real story of his life hadn’t even begun for me.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Fiction
I Found Out My Dad Was Living a Secret Life
Growing up, I always thought my dad was the most predictable man in the world. He woke up at 6 a.m. every day, made a strong cup of chai, kissed my mom on the forehead, and left for work wearing the same old leather bag over his shoulder. He was never late, never missed a birthday, and never raised his voice. To me, he was the definition of steady. Solid. Safe.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Families
The Text That Arrived a Year After He Died
It had been exactly one year since we buried my brother, Ayaan. I still remember the chill in the air that day. It wasn’t just the weather — it was the kind of cold that wraps itself around your bones when something irreversible happens. He was 23. Full of life. Loved by everyone. Gone in an instant. A rainy night, a slippery road, and a speeding truck.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Fiction
I Found Out My Brother Wasn’t My Real Brother
We grew up as brothers. Same house. Same school. Same bunk bed. My older brother, Adil, was always the calm one. The responsible one. He looked out for me, helped me with homework, taught me how to fight back against bullies, and gave me advice I didn’t always ask for but secretly needed. If someone had asked me who I trusted most in the world, my answer would have been instant: Adil.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Fiction
The Stranger Who Paid My Hospital Bill… and Vanished
It was a rainy Tuesday when I collapsed. I was 23, broke, and stubborn. I had been ignoring a sharp stomach pain for nearly two weeks. At first, it felt like regular indigestion. Then it got worse—sharp jabs, occasional nausea, cold sweats. I thought it would pass. I didn’t have health insurance, and my bank account barely had enough for groceries, let alone a doctor. So I waited.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Families
The Day My Father Didn’t Pick Me Up from School
It was a Thursday, and I was eight. My shoes squeaked against the wet concrete of the school courtyard as my class filed out, one by one, into the arms of waiting parents. It had been raining since lunch. The sky hung low, like a damp wool blanket, and the trees around the school shook quietly in the wind. My backpack felt heavier than usual — not because of the books, but because I was excited. My father was supposed to pick me up that day. He rarely did. But that morning, he had promised. With his keys in one hand and a cigarette in the other, he had looked me in the eyes and said, “I’ll be there.”
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in Families
From Allies to Adversaries: Iran and Israel’s Tumultuous Journey
For much of the 20th century, the relationship between Iran and Israel was defined more by quiet cooperation than conflict. In the decades following World War II, Iran under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi quietly aligned with Israel as part of a broader pro-Western axis in the Middle East. Despite Iran’s majority Muslim population, the Shah maintained clandestine diplomatic and economic ties with Israel, including arms deals, oil sales, and intelligence sharing. These links served the strategic interests of both nations during the Cold WaThis hidden alliance was abruptly shattered in 1979 with the Islamic Revolution. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini led the overthrow of the Shah, replacing the monarchy with an Islamic Republic built on anti-Western, anti-Zionist ideology. Almost overnight, Israel transformed from a quiet partner into a sworn enemy in Iranian rhetoric. Tehran severed ties with Tel Aviv, and “Death to Israel” became a fixture of official Iranian discourse. In the place of diplomacy, Iran began supporting armed groups hostile to Israel—most notably Hezbollah in Lebanon and later Hamas in Gaza.
By Umar Faraz Gul7 months ago in History
