Who Should Fast the Month of Ramadan?
All Muslims who have reached the age of puberty, who are of sound mind, and who have good health must fast during Ramadan. Allah, in the Qur’an commands the believers to fast the month of Ramadan. However, fasting is not accepted by Allah from the unbelievers. Yet, if somebody converts to Islam, they must fast. They do not have to compensate for the times that they had missed before they converted; however, children are not required to fast. The Prophet, (Pbuh), once related certain guidelines in regard to fasting, that is to the following effect: “three types of people are freed from the responsibilities to fast: the child until he attains puberty; the sleeping person until regains wakefulness; and the insane person until he regains his sanity.” Abou Dawud, Al-Nisa’i, and Ibnu Majah, Muslim scholars state that parents should gradually introduce their children to fasting when they reach the age of seven, and they should ask them to fast after the age of ten, so that they will be prepar
