❖ Question:
For a non-baligh (underage) student, is it better to fast or to remain engaged in studies?
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
✿ Answer:
It is possible to study while fasting. Even a non-baligh child should be made to fast in order to develop the habit, as this is part of his tarbiyah (training and upbringing).
❀ Ḥadīth Evidence:
Sayyidah Rabīʿ bint Muʿawwidh رضي الله عنها reported:
كُنَّا نَصُومُ صِبْيَانَنَا وَنَجْعَلُ لَهُمُ اللُّعْبَةَ مِنَ الْعِهْنِ، فَإِذَا بَكَى أَحَدُهُمْ مِنَ الْجُوعِ أَعْطَيْنَاهُ إِيَّاهَا حَتَّى يَكُونَ عِندَ الْإِفْطَارِ
"We used to make our children fast, and we would make for them toys out of wool. If any of them cried because of hunger, we would give him the toy until it was time to break the fast."
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1960, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1136)
Conclusion:① A child can combine both fasting and studying.
② Training children to fast is recommended, even before they reach maturity.
③ Such practice is part of Islamic upbringing (tarbiyah).
