How can a nine-year-old son be accustomed to fasting the entirety of Ramadan, especially since he only fasted half of Ramadan last year?
A nine-year-old child is not obligated to fast because he has not yet reached puberty. However, parents should gradually accustom him to fasting. Just as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, commanded teaching children prayer when they are seven years old and disciplining them for it when they are ten, the Companions used to make their young boys fast to accustom them to obedience.
Methods of accustoming them to fasting include: 1. Talking about the virtues of fasting. 2. Pre-accustoming them by fasting some days in Sha'ban. 3. Fasting part of the day and gradually increasing the duration. 4. Delaying the pre-dawn meal (). 5. Encouraging them with rewards and praising them. 6. Instilling a spirit of healthy competition. 7. Distracting them with sleep or permissible games. 8. The father taking his son to the mosque. 9. Visiting families whose children are fasting. 10. Rewarding them after breaking the fast.
It is important not to insist that the child complete the fast if he reaches his limit, so that he does not come to detest the act of worship or suffer health complications.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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