Children and Fasting in the month of Ramadan

The most common question about children and fasting in the month of Ramadan is: how long should the child fast?

Children should not fast as long as adults may. That is, lengthy and extended fasts for children should be properly planned, supervised, and wisely considered.

 Short-term fasts for children, (3, 5 hours) however, may be safely undertaken by knowledgeable parents.

The needs of a child when fasting are basically the same as an adult's: warmth, quiet, rest, fresh air. (Time for Zikr Allah)

.Youngsters has vital and relatively clean bodies that respond well to a Sawm (fast).

All the body's functions are normalized during a fast. Indigestion, constipation, headaches, colds, fevers, diarrhea,

And a host of other childhood complaints often disappear quickly during a fast.

The body can discharge its eliminative tasks much speedier during a fast.

Fasting also allows a child's weight to normalize. Overweight children will lose excessive pounds during a fast,

While under weight youngsters often quickly add pounds after a fast.

The easiest way to handle this problem for a child past 5 or 7 years old is to let him see that Ramadan, Sawm (fasting) is a natural thing to do,

And is not a punishment from Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) or something to be afraid of. Our culture promotes eating and overfeeding.

(Like ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, Deep fried foods, e.g. pakoras samosas, fried dumpling,

And lots and lots of peanut butter sandwiches).  (Yes! overfeeding.  Take a good look at your Iftar today).

Those of us who have anything to eat at all, we have it easy. We have been blessed by Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD), and we should be thankful for everything we have been given,

No matter how small it may be.

There are many goals of fasting we are constantly reminded of.

Self-restraint and increasing Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) consciousness are among them.

One that is not mentioned frequently enough is that when we fast, we are supposed to feel hungry.

The problem is we do not want to feel hungry. We stuff ourselves in the morning, and stuff ourselves in the evening once more.

This attitude of overeating in Ramadan will not allow us to reach the goals intended by fasting.

Yes, we should feel the pangs of hunger everyday. Feel your stomach churning while at work, school, and at home.

Let these pangs remind you of those who are fasting not because they want to, but because they have nothing to eat.

When we reflect on this, it will cause us to be more generous during times when we are required to give charity,

 Because we have an idea of how they feel and what they go through everyday.

Complaining to other people is an indication you are not thankful to Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) for what you have.

At least you get to eat at the end of the day. At least you have your health.

At least you have a home to sleep in every night. So let us desist from complaining in these coming years,

And let us use that time to instead remember Allah SWT, recite the Qur’an, and ask Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) for forgiveness.

We ask Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) to make fasting easy for us, and we ask Him to accept from us our fasting in this month of Ramadan.

“Look to those who are inferior to you and do not look to those who are superior to you, for this will keep you from belittling Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD)’s Favor upon you.” (Sahih Bukhari).

You must show your child the other side of the coin, and develop good health habits at an early age. (At Iftar- 3 dates and Small glass juice).

In this way the child will be a participant in the holy month of Ramadan rather than an outcast.

As a Muslim growing up Ramadan to me was the month where you had to fast by refraining from eating and drinking from sunrise till sunset,

I had to do it because it was my religion I never understood the benefit of it at the time...

I did it because I looked forward to the time where we broke the fast and eat all these amazing food that my mum cooked for us.

There was something different about that month (Ramadan) that I never noticed in any other months the peaceful state of mind, as well as the power in the air especially at night.

Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) almighty created us for one purpose to worship him and to help each other it doesn’t matter color or religion we all came from one source,

 And that source needs to be cleaned and refreshed and the best way to do it for Muslims is by fasting the month of Ramadan the month where the

 Quran was revealed to our prophet Muhammad Peace be upon him.

Stop complaining this Ramadan too. (Ramadan is family affair)

 Example of complain in the holy month of Ramadan:

Man, I am tired, when is Maghrib time again (really when is Iftar)?’

‘I cannot take this anymore. If it stays this hot, I may have to break my fast.’

‘Why does Ramadan have to be during this time of year?’

These are from among the many complaints we will here in the coming years during the month of Ramadan.

For those who did not know, the month of Ramadan moves up 11 days every year of the solar calendar.

So for the next several years, we will have Ramadan right in the middle of the summer. It will be hot.

 The days will be longer. Muslims will complain.

There are many goals of fasting we are constantly reminded of. Self-restraint and increasing Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD)-consciousness are among them.

One that is not mentioned frequently enough is that when we fast, we are supposed to feel hungry.

The problem is we do not want to feel hungry.

We stuff ourselves in the morning, and stuff ourselves in the evening once more. (The greater the food you eat for suhoor the harder the fast.

Simply because you stretch the stomach, and once the stomach empties slightly, the hunger receptors start firing (forgot the technical term).

Hence the person desires more food. Eat 1/3… drink lots of fluid… and InshaAllah time will fly.)

This attitude of overeating in Ramadan will not allow us to reach the goals intended by fasting.

Yes, we should feel the pangs of hunger everyday. Feel your stomach churning while at work, school, and at home.

Let these pangs remind you of those who are fasting not because they want to, but because they have nothing to eat.

When we reflect on this, it will cause us to be more generous during times when we are required to give charity,

 Because we have an idea of how they feel and what they go through everyday.

Complaining to other people is an indication you are not thankful for what you have.

At least you get to eat at the end of the day.

At least you have your health.

At least you have a home to sleep in every night.

So let us desist from complaining in these coming years,

And let us use that time to instead remember Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD), recite the Qur’an, and ask Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) for forgiveness.

As Muslims we might not drink alcohol do drugs but our weakness is food this is where we lose it ….

But just remember food is what make you act and react after a long day fasting, if you are not careful you will fall asleep

 And get even unhealthier if you don’t do it right!

The blessed Prophet Peace be Upon him said: “The children of Adam fill no vessel worse than their stomach.

Sufficient for him is a few morsels to keep his back straight.

If he must eat more then a third should be for his food, a third for his drink, and a third left for his air.

We ask Allah to make fasting easy for us, and we ask Him to accept from us our fasting in this month of Ramadan.

It may be tough for those who live in this part of the world but remember that ALLAH AZA WAJALLAH is Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim - the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Ar-Rahim is exclusively for the believers.'' In which sense”? In the sense that, come winter time ALLAH AZA WAJALLAH has compensated for the believers by

Making the night time longer and the day time shorter and that is the opposite in the summer time, night time shorter and day time longer.

For instance when you fast say the month of December you will the morning prayer is around 6.50 (06.50) in the morning that means you can eat your suhur around

6 pm in the morning and when is Maghrib it’s around 3.30 in the evening (15.30) and that’s iftar, when one can break his or her fast.

That around 8 hours of fasting and its gets better if you live up north of me. So why complain of the long hours in the summer time and yet forget the shorter time in the winter time SUBHANALLAH that is the bounty of Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD)
AZA WAJALLAH. Only a true believer can reflect this without complaining.

THAT’S THE TRUE JUSTICE FROM THE KNOWER OF THE VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE.

So don’t take a vacation when June comes Instead, we stay and perform our duty and be grateful.

We often hear that the wisdom or one of the wisdoms, of fasting is to know how poor people feel when they haven’t eaten for a few days.

 You can fast for days without breaking your fast and you won’t relate to the poor person.

What really hurts the poor is not the hunger; it is the humility of having to knock on somebody’s door at odd hours to ask for food.

 Humility, of not being able to work and earn food and having to ask for it.

The humility: of not being able to feed their own children and having to beg.

Abu Hurairah (Radiyallaahu ‘anhu), related that the Messenger of Allah A said,

"Poor Muslims will enter Paradise before rich (Muslims) by a period of half a day (of the Hereafter), and that is 500 years (from this world)." (Ahmad)

May Allah allow everyone to benefit from this and May He forgive us fro all the times we complained and May He grants us Patience! Ameen!

"Don't depend too much on anyone in this world because even your own shadow leaves you when you are in darkness". (Depend on Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) Alone).

How unfortunate are those, who have accepted authority to be the truth, instead of truth to be the authority.

May Allah Subhanahu WA Ta’aala (GOD) make our efforts sincere and keep us all on the straight path...........

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