What is the Arabic term for voluntary fasting?

Answer Details

In Islamic jurisprudence, different Arabic terms describe distinct categories of fasting. Nafl (also spelled Nawafil in the plural) refers to voluntary or supererogatory acts of worship - those performed beyond what is obligatory. Voluntary fasting falls under this category because it is not required but is highly recommended and earns additional reward from Allah.

The other terms have different meanings. Qada refers to making up missed obligatory fasts, such as those missed during Ramadan due to illness or travel. Iftar is the meal eaten to break the fast at sunset, not a type of fasting itself. Kaffarah is an act of expiation or atonement required when an obligatory fast is deliberately broken without a valid reason; it typically involves fasting for 60 consecutive days, feeding 60 poor people, or freeing a slave.

Examples of Nafl fasting include fasting on Mondays and Thursdays, the white days (13th, 14th, and 15th of each lunar month), the Day of Arafah, and six days in the month of Shawwal.