This book is a must-read for those interested in Happiness Ranking. It is, however, very likely that it will climb understanding the role a dynamic leader can up very quickly in the years to come. The commitment of the play in uplifting an organisation or a country. rulers and the people of the UAE can lead the country to only Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum one direction – more happiness and more prosperity.
(“Sheikh Mohammed” afterwards) – May he be blessed with long and healthy life – is a visionary In this book, Sheikh Mohammed shares his views on positivity leader who followed on the footsteps of his father, Sheikh and happiness in the context of Dubai, the UAE, the region, Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum – may his soul rest in peace – to and the Arab world in general. Drawing upon numerous build one of the most talked-about cities in the world, i.e., personal examples and that from other people in the UAE, Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed’s earlier book, My Vision, spells particularly Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid, he contends out main points of his world-view. that positivity as a way of life must result in happiness of individuals and general well-being in the society. He argues Dubai, as a city-state, and the UAE, as a federation, provide an that maximising happiness of people should be the ultimate excellent example of an economic development model. Dubai is, objective of a country. The principle also applies to other in particular, has emerged as a success story that many other smaller socio-economic units like family and organisations. countries in the region and beyond will like to emulate. Sheikh Happier the individuals in an organisation, for example, more Mohammed asserts that this success is not a fluke but, on the productive they will be and hence more successful will be contrary, has emanated from the vision of his father, Sheikh the business. Happier households happen to be healthier, Rashid who was a co-founder of the UAE under leadership too. There is a direct link between positivity and happiness, of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan (may his soul asserts Sheikh Mohammed. A negative person can never be rest in eternal peace). The success of Dubai continues to owe happy, and by way of corollary successful. to the detailed strategy and religious implementation of it by different stakeholders who have managed to move forward The book should be of interest to those involved in Islamic despite some adverse circumstances. banking and finance, as the UAE is an important market for Islamic financial services, and Sheikh Mohammed’s vision is to The UAE is the first country in the world, which has appointed make Dubai as a hub for global Islamic economy. Dubai Islamic a full-time Minister of State for Happiness, Tolerance andy Bank, the oldest Islamic bank in the world, is also headquartered the Future, taking a view that maximising happiness must there. The government of Dubai and Al Maktoum family is be a policy objective, along with economic growth and a shareholder in this Islamic bank of paramount importance. development. With the help of the increased computational Hence, the relevance of Sheikh Mohammed’s views to Islamic power the IT revolution has made possible, quantification of banking and finance. happiness and its measuring on a frequent basis (e.g., annual).
While reading this book, one may wonder if Islamic banking taken more seriously than the attention it has received so and finance can contribute to developing a positive worldview far. Despite the ownership of the happiness project by the and whether its stakeholders – employees as well as customers government of the UAE, the country ranks 21 on the World – are happier than their counterparts in conventional banks.
We have decided to use Reflections on Happiness and Positivity as a recommended reading for the participants of our Cambridge Islamic Finance Leadership Programme (CambridgeIFLP). There are some excellent tips from a leader like Sheikh Mohammed for anyone who would like to play a lead role, whether in politics or business. We believe that the participants of our Cambridge-IFLP will benefit immensely from the reading of the book and discussions around it.
