Ihsan Agile Resources

Practical tools for embedding Islamic ethics into Agile delivery.

Maintained openly on GitHub

Ihsan Agile is a living framework. The ethical challenges it addresses are not static, and neither are the practices required to respond to them. For that reason, Ihsan Agile resources are maintained as open, versioned artefacts, rather than fixed documents.

Most tools, templates, and guides are hosted on GitHub, which serves as the canonical source for Ihsan Agile materials. This allows resources to evolve through practice, feedback, and shared learning — rather than being frozen at a point in time.

If you are new to GitHub, you do not need to contribute code to benefit from or indeed to use these resources. You can simply read, adapt, and apply them in your own context.

Why GitHub?

Using GitHub is a deliberate choice, not a technical requirement.

GitHub allows Ihsan Agile resources to be:

Transparent — changes are visible and traceable
Versioned — improvements and corrections are documented over time
Adaptable — teams can fork and tailor resources responsibly
Collaborative — practitioners can suggest improvements based on lived experience
Accountable — ideas are open to scrutiny, not authority by assertion

This aligns with the values Ihsan Agile seeks to embody: amānah (trust), shūrā (consultation), and continuous improvement with integrity.

To contribute, check out our Community page.

Core Resources

All resources below are maintained in the Ihsan Agile GitHub repository:

Gharar Assessment Checklist: checklist helps development teams evaluate technical debt through the Islamic lens of gharar (harmful uncertainty).
Technical Uncertainty Register Guide: a structured, transparent system for documenting, tracking, and managing technical shortcuts in alignment with Islamic principles of disclosure, stewardship, and justice.
Ethical Definition of Done Checklist: Expand your Definition of Done to include ethical and Islamic criteria, ensuring work embodies Niyyah (intention), Iḥsān (excellence), and Maṣlaḥah (public good).
Muhāsabah Retrospective Template: Transform retrospectives from process improvement into spiritual practice - examining both efficiency and ethics, both process and character.
Niyyah Check-in Template: Use this at the beginning of Sprint Planning, PI Planning, or other planning sessions to establish conscious intention before work.
Stakeholder Barakah Review: Use this as a short, structured consultation to assess whether delivered work created genuine benefit (maṣlaḥah), upheld justice (ʿadl), and honoured stewardship (amānah) — with those affected, not just internally.

Frameworks:

Ihsan Agile Guide: a comprehensive framework embedding Islamic values in Agile delivery
Includes practices like Niyyah check-ins, Muhāsabah retrospectives, and the IAF and IAPS roles.