The age at which women become subject to the rulings of Islamic law

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, at what age does a woman become subject to the rulings of Islamic law? This is the first question.

Answer:
Yes. A woman is like a man; she is subject to three matters, and she has a fourth that is specific to her. When she reaches the age of fifteen and completes it, she becomes a woman who is obligated to perform the prayer and other things like fasting and Hajj, and so on. Likewise, if she grows coarse hair in the private area, which is called the pubic hair, she becomes obligated just like a man. And so it is with the emission of fluid; if she emits fluid with desire, whether from looking, from thinking, or from a wet dream, she becomes obligated by this just like a man. These three matters are shared by men and women. First, if she reaches fifteen years of age, which is the stronger opinion, if she completes fifteen years, she becomes a woman obligated by the rulings of the religion, just like a man.
The second is the growth of coarse hair around the private area; this is also one of the causes of becoming subject to the rulings for both men and women. The third is the emission of fluid with desire, whether from a wet dream, from thinking, from looking, or the like. So when she emits, or when the man emits, they become subject to the rulings. And the fourth is specific to her, which is menstruation. When she menstruates, she becomes subject to the rulings regarding it. These are the matters by which the woman and the man both become subject to the rulings: three are shared, and the fourth is specific to the woman, which is menstruation.