The Digital Mujtahid: Product Thinking from First Principles — 10 Principles, Playbook Style

2026-08-06 15:19:51 +08:00
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+{
+  "title": "The Digital Mujtahid: Product Thinking from First Principles",
+  "subtitle": "10 Principles for Building Products That Matter — A Product Lead & Mujtahid Playbook",
+  "author": "Jauhari Che Wan",
+  "style": "Playbook Style — Principle-Driven Product Development",
+  "dual_mentors": {
+    "PRODUCT_LEAD": "Senior Product Lead — Marty Cagan style. Voice: 'Discovery over delivery. Outcomes over output. Talk to users. Ship to learn.' Frameworks: Continuous Discovery, Jobs-to-be-Done, OKRs, North Star Metric.",
+    "MUJTAHID": "Classical Mujtahid — Usul al-Fiqh method. Voice: 'What is the hukm? What is the daleel? What is the maqsad?' Frameworks: Usul al-Fiqh (Qiyas, Istihsan, Maslaha, Sad al-Dhara'i), Maqasid al-Shariah (Hifz al-Din, Nafs, Aql, Mal, Nasl)."
+  },
+  "sources": [
+    "Marty Cagan — Inspired, Empowered",
+    "Teresa Torres — Continuous Discovery Habits",
+    "Al-Shatibi — Al-Muwafaqat (Maqasid Theory)",
+    "Al-Ghazali — Al-Mustasfa (Usul al-Fiqh)",
+    "Ibn Ashur — Maqasid al-Shariah al-Islamiyyah",
+    "Clayton Christensen — Jobs to Be Done",
+    "Andy Grove — High Output Management",
+    "Classical Usul al-Fiqh texts"
+  ],
+  "playbook_format": "Each chapter = 1 Principle (Product Decision) → Discovery → Evidence → Shura → Principle → Ship → Measure",
+  "chapters": [
+    {
+      "id": 1,
+      "title": "Principle #1: The Problem Statement — What Problem Are We Solving?",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Aql (Preservation of Mind/Clarity) → Jobs-to-be-Done",
+      "framework": "Problem Quadrant: Symptom vs Root Cause / User Pain vs Business Pain / Known vs Unknown",
+      "discovery_prompt": "How do you distinguish a symptom from a root cause? What questions does a Mujtahid ask before issuing a fatwa? What questions does a Product Lead ask before writing a PRD?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "What evidence does a Mujtahid require? What evidence does a Product Lead require? How do you distinguish anecdote from data?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Problem Statement Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Ruling), Daleel (Evidence), Maqsad (Purpose), Shart (Conditions)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 2,
+      "title": "Principle #2: Evidence Gathering — Continuous Discovery as Istiqsa'",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Mal (Preservation of Wealth/Data) → Continuous Discovery Habits",
+      "framework": "Evidence Quadrant: Quantitative / Qualitative / Behavioral / Attitudinal",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Istiqsa' (thorough investigation) in Usul al-Fiqh? How does it map to Continuous Discovery? What constitutes 'sufficient evidence' for a principle vs a product decision?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "How do you distinguish signal from noise? What is the minimum viable evidence for a principle? For an MVP?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does an 'Evidence Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (We have sufficient evidence), Daleel (Sources), Maqsad (Reduce uncertainty), Shart (Confidence threshold)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 3,
+      "title": "Principle #3: Stakeholder Consultation — Shura as Discovery",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Karama (Preservation of Dignity) → Stakeholder Voice",
+      "framework": "Shura Quadrant: Users / Team / Business / Regulators",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Shura in Usul al-Fiqh? How does it differ from 'stakeholder interviews'? What makes consultation valid vs performative?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "How do you weight conflicting stakeholder input? What is the 'weight of evidence' in Shura vs Product Council?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Shura Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (We have consulted), Daleel (Who, what they said), Maqsad (Dignity preserved), Shart (Dissent recorded)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 4,
+      "title": "Principle #4: The Product Decision — The Principle as Definition of Done",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Din (Preservation of Purpose) → Definition of Done = Principle",
+      "framework": "Decision Quadrant: Reversible vs Irreversible / High Stakes vs Low Stakes / Data-Rich vs Data-Poor",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What makes a principle binding? What makes a product decision 'done'? When is a decision reversible vs irreversible (Type 1 vs Type 2)?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "What evidence threshold for a reversible vs irreversible decision? How does a Mujtahid handle uncertainty? How does a Product Lead?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Product Decision Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (We will build X), Daleel (Evidence summary), Maqsad (Outcome), Shart (Success metrics, rollback plan)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 5,
+      "title": "Principle #5: Minimum Viable Principle — MVP as Minimum Viable Principle",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Mal (Preservation of Wealth) → MVP = Minimum Viable Principle",
+      "framework": "MVP Quadrant: Viable / Valuable / Usable / Feasible",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is the 'minimum viable principle' in Usul al-Fiqh? How does a Mujtahid issue a conditional principle? How does a Product Lead define MVP?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "What is the minimum evidence for a conditional principle? What is the minimum feature set for an MVP?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does an 'MVP Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Ship X with conditions), Daleel (Minimum evidence), Maqsad (Learn fast), Shart (Rollback trigger, success metrics)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 6,
+      "title": "Principle #6: Technical Debt — Israf vs Investment",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Mal (Preservation of Wealth) → Technical Debt as Israf",
+      "framework": "Debt Quadrant: Prudent / Reckless / Deliberate / Inadvertent",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Israf (waste) in Islamic finance? How does it map to technical debt? When is debt prudent vs reckless?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "How do you measure technical debt? What is the 'interest rate' on technical debt? When is it halal to take on debt?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Technical Debt Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Accept/Refute/Restructure debt), Daleel (Cost of delay vs cost of fix), Maqsad (Sustainable pace), Shart (Paydown plan, interest cap)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 7,
+      "title": "Principle #7: Pricing — Adl (Justice) in Pricing",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Mal (Preservation of Wealth) → Value-Based Pricing as Adl",
+      "framework": "Pricing Quadrant: Cost-Plus / Value-Based / Dynamic / Freemium",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Adl (justice) in pricing? What is Ghabn (exploitation)? How does value-based pricing map to Adl?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "How do you measure 'willingness to pay' without exploitation? What is fair profit margin in Islamic finance?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Pricing Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Price = X), Daleel (Value delivered, cost structure), Maqsad (Sustainable + Just), Shart (No Ghabn, transparent)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 8,
+      "title": "Principle #8: Growth Metrics — Barakah vs Vanity Metrics",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Nasl (Preservation of Lineage/Continuity) → Sustainable Growth",
+      "framework": "Growth Quadrant: Acquisition / Activation / Retention / Referral / Revenue (AARRR) → Barakah Filter",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Barakah in growth? How does it differ from 'growth at all costs'? What metrics have Barakah?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "How do you measure retention with Barakah? What is 'churn' in spiritual terms? What metrics survive the Barakah filter?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Growth Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Target metric = X), Daleel (Leading indicators), Maqsad (Sustainable, compounding), Shart (No dark patterns, Barakah filter)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 9,
+      "title": "Principle #9: Team Organization — Shura at Scale",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Nasl (Preservation of Community) → Squad Shura",
+      "framework": "Org Quadrant: Functional / Cross-Functional / Squad / Guild / Chapter",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Shura at scale? How did the Prophet organize the Ummah? How does Spotify model map to Shura?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "What makes a squad autonomous? What is the 'principle authority' of a Product Lead vs Engineering Lead?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Team Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Squad structure = X), Daleel (Cognitive load, Conway's Law), Maqsad (Autonomy + Alignment), Shart (Shura cadence, decision rights)."
+    },
+    {
+      "id": 10,
+      "title": "Principle #10: Legacy Product — Sadaqah Jariyah as Compound Impact",
+      "subtitle": "Maqasid: Hifz al-Din (Preservation of Purpose) → Sadaqah Jariyah Product",
+      "framework": "Legacy Loop: Create → Ship → Measure → Compound → Endow → Teach",
+      "discovery_prompt": "What is Sadaqah Jariyah? How does a product become Sadaqah Jariyah? What products outlive their creators?",
+      "evidence_prompt": "What products have compound impact? What is the 'interest rate' on product impact? How do you measure generational impact?",
+      "principle_prompt": "What does a 'Legacy Principle' look like? Format: Hukm (Build for perpetuity), Daleel (Compound impact evidence), Maqsad (Sadaqah Jariyah), Shart (Open source, teachable, endowable)."
+    }
+  ]
+}