Question
What do the scholars of the Din and muftis of the Sacred Law state regarding the following issue: In the UK, the duration of fasts is around 20 hours. So, should children be made to fast or not? At what age, should a child be commanded to fast? Questioner: Kabeer from UK
Answer
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
When the child turns 10 years old (lunar) and has the ability to fast, he must be made to fast. It is mentioned in al-Durr al-Mukhtar,
وَيُؤْمَرُ الصَّبِيُّ بِالصَّوْمِ إذَا أَطَاقَهُ وَيُضْرَبُ عَلَيْهِ ابْنُ عَشْرٍ كَالصَّلَاةِ
“A child shall be commanded to fast and shall be chastised if he/she does not fast after 10 years of age (lunar), similar to the ruling regarding Salah.”
[al-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol. 3, pg. 442]
However, fasting is fard (obligatory) after puberty. When a child matures through of the legal signs of puberty [onset of menstruation in a girl/nocturnal emission in both] or he/she turns 15 years old (lunar), then fasting is fard upon him/her.
واللہ تعالی اعلم ورسولہ اعلم صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم
کتبہ ابو الحسن محمد قاسم ضیاء قادری
Answered by Mufti Qasim Zia al-Qadri
Translated by the Akhuwat-e-Islami Team
Read the original Urdu answer here – [Q-ID0347] At what age should a child be commanded to fast?
Published by the Dar-ul-Ifta of Akhuwat-e-Islami as Q-ID0347. Read it on Akhuwat-e-Islami