Contributing to Ihsan Agile

Help Us Develop Ihsan Agile as a Contributor

Join the Contributor Community

Ihsan Agile is a living framework, developed through shirkah fī al-khayr (partnership in good). We welcome contributions from practitioners, scholars, and communities who want to help refine and expand this work.

Why Contribute?

The framework's strength comes from collective wisdom (shūrā). Your experience piloting Ihsan Agile, your insights from Islamic scholarship, your adaptations for specific contexts, these all help the framework better serve the ummah.

Contributions might include:

Practice refinements: Improvements to existing practices based on real implementation
New overlays: Adaptations for additional Agile methods or contexts
Translations: Making the framework accessible in other languages
Case studies: Documented experiences from pilot organisations
Clarifications: Better explanations of Islamic concepts or Agile applications
Additional resources: Templates, facilitation guides, training materials

How to Contribute via GitHub

The Ihsan Agile framework is maintained as an open-source project. Here's how to get involved:

1. Review the Framework

Start by reading the Ihsan Agile Guide and exploring the GitHub repository. To contribute via GitHub, you'll need a free GitHub account. All contributions are publicly attributed, which means your improvements to the framework will be credited to you, a visible record of your service to the ummah.

2. Identify Your Contribution

What could be improved? What's missing? What have you learned from practice?

Common contribution types:

Issue: Report a problem, suggest an improvement, or ask for clarification
Discussion: Propose a significant change or start a conversation
Pull Request: Submit specific changes to documentation or resources

3. Open an Issue or Discussion

Before making changes, start a conversation:

For small fixes (typos, broken links, minor clarifications):

Open an Issue describing what needs fixing
We'll review and you can submit a Pull Request

For substantial changes (new practices, significant rewrites, conceptual shifts):

Start a Discussion to gather input
Ensure alignment with Islamic principles and Agile fundamentals
Collaborate on approach before implementation

4. Submit a Pull Request

When you're ready to contribute specific changes:

Fork the repository: Create your own copy
Create a branch: Name it descriptively (e.g., improve-niyyah-practice or add-kanban-template)
Make your changes: Follow existing formatting and style
Commit with clear messages: Explain what and why
Submit Pull Request: Reference any related Issues or Discussions
Engage in review: Respond to feedback with openness

5. Review Process

All contributions go through collaborative review:

Alignment check: Does this serve the framework's purpose?
Islamic soundness: Are Islamic concepts represented accurately?
Agile compatibility: Does this work with established Agile practices?
Practical value: Will this help real teams?
Quality: Is it clear, well-documented, and accessible?

We approach review as shūrā, collective refinement toward maṣlaḥah (public good).

Contribution Guidelines

Respect the Foundation: The Three Pillars (Niyyah, Iḥsān, Maṣlaḥah) and Five Principles are grounded in The Qur'an and Sunnah. Contributions should work with this foundation while drawing on additional sources like but not limited to:

Fiqh and Islamic legal scholarship across different schools of thought
The Maqāṣid al-Sharīʿah (higher objectives of Islamic law)
Islamic ethics and philosophy
Agile scholarship and evolving best practices
Implementation experience from diverse contexts

We welcome contributions that enrich the framework through additional Islamic sources, contemporary scholarship, or refined Agile practices, as long as they align with the core Islamic principles and serve the framework's purpose of embedding iḥsān into daily work.

Cite Sources: When referencing Islamic concepts, cite Qur'anic verses or hadith using the existing citation format (Sources) or well-known standards. When building on Agile frameworks, acknowledge sources appropriately.

Write Accessibly: The framework serves diverse audiences, from developers to scholars to community organisers. Write clearly, define terms, provide examples.

Maintain License Compatibility All contributions must be compatible with CC BY-SA 4.0. By contributing, you agree your work can be shared under these terms.

What We're Especially Looking For

As an early-stage framework, we particularly welcome:

Pilot Experiences: Have you implemented Ihsan Agile? What worked? What was challenging? What needed adaptation? Document and share.

Context-Specific Adaptations: How does this work in different settings? Islamic charities? Fintech startups? Volunteer teams? Educational institutions?

Facilitation Resources: Templates, scripts, visual aids, training materials that help teams actually implement the practices.

Scholarly Input: Feedback on Islamic concepts, alternative perspectives from different schools of thought, additional relevant Qur'anic or hadith references.

Translations: Help make Ihsan Agile accessible to non-English speaking Muslim communities.

Recognition

All contributors will be acknowledged in the framework documentation with clear attribution for their specific contributions:

Contributing Authors: Those who develop substantial new components will be acknowledged as authors of their specific contributions:

"Technical Debt Register Design by [Name]"
"Fiqh Considerations Section by [Scholar Name]"
"Case Study: Company X by [Practitioner Name]"

Contributors: All accepted contributions acknowledged in a CONTRIBUTORS.md

This structure ensures:

Clear intellectual property boundaries
Appropriate credit for all contributions
Coherence of the overall framework
Sustainability as the framework evolves

The Ihsan Agile Framework remains authored and maintained by Dr. David Wallace-Hare, who retains editorial oversight to ensure coherence with Islamic principles and practical effectiveness.

More importantly, you're contributing to the spiritual and professional growth of Muslim teams worldwide, an act of khidmah (service) that we pray brings barakah.

Ihsan Agile Roadmap

A learning-led, community-shaped journey

Ihsan Agile is a living framework. The ethical and organisational challenges it addresses are not static, and neither is the framework itself.

This roadmap outlines how Ihsan Agile is evolving through learning, consultation (shūrā), and practice, rather than fixed delivery commitments. It reflects current priorities and areas of exploration and is shaped collaboratively with prospective pilot organisations, contributors, and researchers.

The detailed, task-level roadmap is maintained openly on GitHub. What follows is a high-level view for the community.

Current Phase: Foundation & Pilot Preparation

Ihsan Agile was formally released in December 2025 following the publication of the full framework guide, supporting resources, and academic DOI.

The current phase focuses on preparing for learning through real-world application, not scale.

What’s happening now

A small number of organisations are being identified and invited to participate in initial pilot trials
Early adopters are engaging independently with the framework and resources
The Ihsan Agile Facilitator (IAF) and Ihsan Agile Product Steward (IAPS) roles are being refined in readiness for pilot use
Case-study and feedback mechanisms are being prepared
Long-term stewardship and governance questions are being explored in advance of growth

What this phase is designed to learn

Which practices resonate across different organisational contexts
How values-based facilitation functions under real delivery pressures
What resources teams actually need to apply Islamic ethics consistently
How cultural, sectoral, and organisational differences shape implementation

Next Phases (Indicative)

Learning & Documentation

As initial pilot learning becomes available, focus will shift toward:

documenting early case studies
refining guidance based on evidence
expanding practical resources
informing future framework iterations

Accessibility & Reach

Improving accessibility beyond English-speaking contexts is a priority. Planned exploration includes:

Arabic translation as a starting point
additional languages guided by community need and contributor availability
processes to support high-quality, values-consistent translations

Community Stewardship & Sustainability

As adoption grows, attention will turn to long-term stewardship, including:

evaluating appropriate governance and stewardship models
designing learning and certification pathways
recognising contributors and community leadership
strengthening partnerships with educational and practitioner institutions

Any formal structures will be shaped by evidence, consultation, and community need, not imposed in advance.

What Remains Open

We are intentionally transparent about what is not yet settled, including:

how the IAF and IAPS roles work across diverse contexts
which practices prove most transferable
what long-term governance model best serves the community

This openness reflects a commitment to learning before formalisation.

Our Commitment

We commit to:

learning from practice and adapting accordingly
maintaining transparency and openness
grounding decisions in Islamic values and ethical integrity
practising the shūrā we advocate

The framework belongs to the Ummah, not to any individual or organisation.

How You Can Shape the Roadmap

Ihsan Agile evolves through participation.

Prospective pilot organisations will play a central role in shaping the framework through lived experience
Contributors improve practices, resources, and accessibility
Researchers help validate and extend the work
Practitioners demonstrate viability through thoughtful adoption
Translators support linguistic and cultural access

Join the conversation via GitHub Discussions or contact
getinvolved@ihsanagile.org