The Ruling on Fasting Voluntary Fasts Before Making Up the Obligatory Fasts

Question:
If a person has obligatory fasts to make up from Ramadan, is it permissible for him to fast voluntary fasts before making up the obligatory fasts that he owes?

Answer:
There is scholarly disagreement on this, but the stronger position is that he should not begin anything other than the obligatory fast. If he has obligatory fasts to make up from Ramadan, he should begin with these obligatory fasts before any voluntary fasts, because these are more important.