What is the right age to get children used to fasting?

 

What is the right age to get children used to fasting?

What is the age at which children are obliged to fast? How can we encourage them to fast and pray in the mosque, especially Taraweeh prayer? Are there any simple religious ideas which can be used to fill children’s spare time in Ramadaan?.

 

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

Fasting is not obligatory for young children, until they
reach the age of adolescence, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: “The pens have been lifted from three: from one
who has lost his mind until he comes back to his senses, from one who is
sleeping until he wakes up, and from a child until he reaches the age of
adolescence.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 4399; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani
in Saheeh Abi Dawood. 

Nevertheless, children
should be told to fast so that they can get used to it, and because the good
deeds that they do will be recorded for them. 

The age at which parents should start to teach their children
to fast is the age at which they are able to fast, which will vary according
to each child’s physical makeup. Some scholars have defined this as being
ten years of age. 

Al-Kharqi said: 

When a child is ten years old and is able to fast, he should
start to do so. 

Ibn Qudaamah said: 

This means that he should be made to fast and told to do so.
And he should be smacked if he does not do it, so as to train him and make
him get used to it, just as he should be made to pray and told to do it.
Among those who were of the view that a child should be told to fast when he
becomes able to do it were ‘Ata’, al-Hasan, Ibn Sireen, al-Zuhri, Qataadah
and al-Shaafa’i. 

Al-Awzaa’i said: If he is able to fast for three consecutive
days without interruption and without becoming weak, then he should be made
to fast Ramadaan. Ishaaq said: When (a child) reaches the age of twelve I
think that he should be made to fast so that he gets used to it. 

The age of ten is more likely, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined smacking children for
not praying at this age, and regarding fasting as being like prayer is
better, because they are close to one another, and because they are both
physical actions that are pillars of Islam. But fasting is harder, so
attention should be paid to when the child becomes able for it, because some
may be able to pray who are not yet able to fast. End quote. 

Al-Mughni, 4/412 

This is what the
companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did with their children; they would tell those who were able to fast to do
so, and if one of them wept because of hunger, they would give him a toy to
distract him, but it is not permissible to force them to fast if it will
harm them in cases of physical weakness or sickness. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

A young child should not be forced to fast until he has
reached the age of adolescence, but he may be told to fast if he is able to
do it, so that he may get used to it and it will be easier for him after he
reaches puberty. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) – who are
the best of this ummah – used to make their children fast when they were
young. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
19/28, 29 

And the Shaykh (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked: 

My young son insists on
fasting Ramadaan even though fasting is harmful for him because he is so
young and his health is not good. Should I use force with him to make him
break his fast?

He replied: 

If he is young and has not yet reached puberty, he is not
obliged to fast, but if he is able to do it without hardship, then he should
be told to do so. The Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them) used to
make their children fast, and if the younger ones cried they would give them
toys to distract them. But if it is proven that it is harmful to him, then
he should be stopped from fasting. If Allaah has forbidden us to give
youngsters their wealth if there is the fear that they may abuse it, then it
is more appropriate that they be stopped from doing something if there is
the fear of physical harm. But that should not be done by force, because
that is not appropriate in raising children. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
19/83 

Secondly:   

The parents can
encourage their children to fast by giving them a gift each day, or by
exploiting the spirit of competition between them and their peers or those
who are younger than them. They can encourage them to pray by taking them to
pray in the mosques, especially if they go out with their father and pray in
different mosques each day. They can also encourage them by rewarding them
for that, whether that is by praising them or by taking them out on trips
sometimes, or buying things that they like, etc. 

Unfortunately some fathers and mothers fall far short in
encouraging their children, and there are even some who stop their children
doing these acts of worship. Some of these fathers and mothers think that
mercy and compassion mean not making their children fast or pray. This is
completely mistaken according to both the shar’i point of view and
educational wisdom. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) said: 

Allaah has enjoined fasting upon every Muslim who is
accountable, able to do it and not travelling. As for young children who
have not yet reached the age of puberty, fasting is not obligatory for them,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The pen has been lifted from three” and he mentioned young children until
they reach puberty. But the child’s guardian must tell him to fast if he
reaches an age where he is able to do so, because that comes under the
heading of training him to implement the pillars of Islam. We see some
people leaving their children alone and not telling them to pray or fast,
but this is wrong, and he (the parent) will be responsible for that before
Allaah. They say that they do not make their children fast out of kindness
and compassion towards them, but in fact the one who is truly kind and
compassionate towards his child is the one who trains him to acquire good
characteristics and to do righteous deeds, not the one who refrains from
disciplining and training him in a beneficial manner. End quote. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen,
19/19, 20 

Thirdly: 

The parents can fill
their children’s time with reading Qur’aan and memorizing a small portion
each day, reading books that are suited to their level, letting them listen
to tapes which combine useful content with fun, such as nasheeds, and
bringing them video tapes that are useful for them. The “al-Majd for
Children” channel does all of this things, and time can be set aside each
day for children to watch it and benefit from it. 

We would like to express our appreciation for our sister’s
concern about her children’s upbringing. This indicates that there is still
goodness in Muslim families. But many people do not do well in bringing out
their children’s intellectual and physical potential, and they become lazy
and depend on others. They also do not care about encouraging them to do
acts of worship such as fasting and praying, so many children grow up in
this manner and their hearts are devoid of worship after they grow older,
and it becomes difficult for their parents to direct them and advise them,
whereas if they had paid attention to this matter from the outset, they
would not have ended up regretting it in the end. 

We ask Allaah to help us to raise our children well, to make
them love worship, and to help us to fulfil our duties towards them. 

And Allaah knows best.

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