#Lite: Where do madhhabs come from?

The less sexy a company is, the more likely it is to have a high-performance culture.

Hi guys,

Hope you are well. I’m doing okay, Alhamdulillah.

I write this at 11:18 pm on a chilly Sunday evening, sitting on the couch and tayaddd. It’s been a long day. Unlike most days in which I publish a #Lite post last minute, I actually did have an article content planned for today. But as I had to prioritize other things throughout my day, I am forced to defer that till another time.

Okay, let’s get to it.

What I’m reading

I’m currently reading The Four Madhhabs of Islam by AbdulHaqq Bewley. If you are Muslim, then there is a chance you have vaguely heard about the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali schools of thought as the 4 paths to Islamic scholarship.

But how did these school of thoughts come about? Why are they only 4? How are they similar or different? Why do Nigerian Muslims sometimes practice differently from Indian Muslims?

While visiting a friend recently, our conversation delved into this topic, and he promptly paused, fished out the book and asked me to read it. I was in awe.

I really like the idea of having close access to resources in a home library, and this is perhaps the motivation I need to think about building one someday. More interestingly, the book still smells of his (very nice) perfume which has made reading it even more pleasant.

I am only about 25% in, but it has been an insightful read and I definitely recommend for whoever is so inclined.

What I’m thinking about

The more attractive a venture is, the more difficult human capital development is.

One of the biggest problems of an organization perceived as being ‘fun’ is the influx of talented people who have zero interest in doing any work. I remember all the challenges AIESEC executives faced in getting we slackers to be active. Regardless of what they said or did, we just didn’t care.

Hypothesis: The less sexy a company is, the more likely it is to have a high-performance culture.

Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway, just about the most boring company you can imagine - Image from Reinsurance News

If you think your organization is too boring, congrats!

** Jara content:

“And the butterflies, for all their graces, are merely caterpillars who persevere.”

Have a great week. ✨