Discover the meaning of the term Al-nafl (نَّفل) in Islamic vocabulary.
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Updated on 11 April 2026 at 1:05 AM
📖 4 min readWhat the fighter is given over and above, that is, what is granted him beyond his share: that the imam or the prince say: whoever slays a foe shall have his spoils; or say to the troop: what you take is yours, or a quarter of it, or half, without deduction of the fifth.
In the language: bounty and increase. In the Law: the spoils and all that is besides the obligatory shares and obligations, called mandub, mustahabb and tatawwu'. The spoils are called nafl because it is an increase over what is intended by the legality of the jihad: the exalting of the word of Allah and the subduing of His enemies.
Language: increase without qualification; hence the spoils are called nafl: an increase over what is intended by the legality of the jihad, which is the exalting of the word of Allah and the subduing of His enemies. In al-Sihah: al-nafl and al-nafila: a voluntary gift where nothing is obligatory. Law: in al-Ta'rifat it is said that al-nafl is the name of what is legally ordained over and above the obligatory shares and obligations, called mandub, mustahabb and tatawwu'. In Anis al-Fuqaha': the increase over the obligatory shares and obligations. Ibn Arafa said: what the imam gives from the fifth of the spoils to its lawful recipient for some interest. In al-Kawakib al-Durriyya: the like. In Tahrir al-Tanbih: nafl, tatawwu', mandub, mustahabb, marghub fihi and sunna all have one meaning; it is said: with distinctions.
In the language: the name of increase; hence the spoils are called nafl, an increase over what is intended by the legality of the jihad: the exalting of the word of Allah and the subduing of His enemies. In the Law: the name of what is ordained over and above the obligatory shares and obligations, called mandub, mustahabb and tatawwu'.
In the language: increase without qualification. In the Law: the increase over the obligatory shares and obligations; whence the nafila of prayer by way of addition, and the nafila also with the article for determination.
The man, in the form naflan: to swear. Such a one: to grant him a supererogatory favour. One says: the commander enriched (naffala) the troop: to assign them their spoils. Such a one from his kin: to banish him. From his companion, in the form tanfil: to defend him. Such a one: intensive in the granting of favours. His oath. Al-nafila: the nafl. (plural) nawafil. The gift. The spoils. The grandson. Al-nafl: the increase. In the Law: the name of what is ordained over and above the obligatory shares and obligations, called mandub, mustahabb and tatawwu'. (al-Jurjani). In terminology: what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did without observing it continually: he sometimes left it and sometimes did it. (al-Dasuqi). With the Shafi'is: what the Law has preferred be done, whose omission is permitted; its synonyms: sunna, tatawwu', mandub, mustahabb, marghub fihi and hasan.
Language: the increase; hence the spoils are called nafl: an increase over what is intended by the legality of the jihad, the exalting of the word of Allah and the subduing of His enemies.
Vowelled: the name of increase; hence the spoils are called nafl: an increase over what is intended by the legality of the jihad, the exalting of the word of Allah and the subduing of His enemies.