Zakir Naik – It is Good to Encourage Young Children to Fast

			What's your thoughts on children fasting the month of Ramadan before they get to the age of puberty.
As I mentioned earlier, it is not compulsory for a child who has not reached the age of puberty, two
fashions are compulsory, they exempted as the Beloved Prophet masala himself. Hadith in Tirmidhi,
Hadith number one for two, three, a beloved Prophet said that the pen has been lifted up from three
categories of people, a child, until he reaches puberty, a sleeping person until he wakes up, and a
person who's insane, until he becomes of sound mind. So these three categories of people, the
Beloved Prophet said that the pen had been lifted, that means it's not obligated on them to fast,
		

			same as prayer, also the under obliged, but it's good to encourage our children to fast as early as
possible, do it's not complicity. And there's a hadith, which is mentioned in say Buhari form number
three, in the book of fasting Hadith number 1960, where the Beloved Prophet Musa Salam, he tells the
people of Assad, he sends the messenger and doesn't inform that those who are fasting they should
continue fasting. Those who are not fasting should fast till the end of the day. And after that, the
people the Sahaba, they said, you fasted. And we even asked our children to fast, and we took them
to the massages, and if they cried, we gave them toys or food. So that keep themselves busy till the
		

			time of his bar. That means this is how the Sahabas they encourage the children to fast at an early
age, so it was not compulsory. And this is a good habit. But many times that we see nowadays, that
many of the parents, they discourage the children from fasting, even if the child is enthusiastic
and fit onto fire, many parents say, at this young age, it's not required don't fast, they fail to
realize that fasting at a young age will not cause them any harm. In fact, it will give them a
training too fast when they reach puberty.
		

			And Allah says in the Quran, in Florida him chapter number 66, Boston six. Yeah, you're listening
among all you believe, save yourself and your families from the torment of hellfire, who still is
men and stones. Allah is reminding the people that don't only save yourself, even your children from
the Hellfire was filled with men and stones. So it is good to encourage our children to fast at an
early age. And that's what we do in the school that we are running the Islamic International School,
we encourage them to fast and earlier even when they are in junior kg, or in senior KD at the age of
456 Encourage them. And at this age, they do 456 We say that the person who fast the maximum in the
		

			class will get a gift, we get a reward, and that encourages them. And when they reached and at
first, that is approximately six Hamdulillah. Most of the children found the full month and by the
time they reach standard third, that's about seven, eight years, almost all of their first full
month of Ramadan, there are some compulsory Hamdulillah. And when they feed their children fasting,
imagine most of the parents that tell them that oh, it's not required. But the children the force,
that we want to fast because of competition because of seeing the friends all of the fasting. So if
they don't feel they feel ashamed, does not affirm them. But that was still you create if you don't
		

			tell them it is far too fast. That mafia of competition that was fear of loving each other and
loving the religion loving Atlanta school. So this we are hamdulillah like they said in a hadith,
most of them said mission in Tirmidhi that when a child reaches the age of seven, we should teach
him to offer Salah and at the age of 10 you can even use force so that means gonna say you're gonna
do the same thing even for fasting. But we start at a much earlier age, but it does not force that
for you views love affection, and gifts and rewards and Alhumdulillah it has a tremendous effect on
the children