When is the fasting of a child considered valid?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
Honorable Shaykh, when is the fasting of a child considered valid? And is there a specific age limit for him to start fasting?
Answer:
A child’s fasting is considered valid if his prayer is valid, which is the case for a child who has reached the age of discernment. If he is seven years old, his fasting, prayer, and acts of worship are valid, and they count as voluntary acts for him. However, if he is below the age of discernment, nothing of his is valid, because he does not have intellect, intention, or will. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih al-Bukhari 1 And this is only possible for one who has reached the age of discernment or an adult, who is the one who understands intention.
Honorable Shaykh, when is the fasting of a child considered valid? And is there a specific age limit for him to start fasting?
Answer:
A child’s fasting is considered valid if his prayer is valid, which is the case for a child who has reached the age of discernment. If he is seven years old, his fasting, prayer, and acts of worship are valid, and they count as voluntary acts for him. However, if he is below the age of discernment, nothing of his is valid, because he does not have intellect, intention, or will. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.
إنما الأعمال بالنيات وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، متى يعتبر صيام الصبي؟ للشيخ الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.