WHO MUST FAST AND WHO IS EXCUSED FROM FASTING
The first condition for one
to be obligated to fast is to be Muslim. In this world, the non-Muslim is not
requested to fast, however, in the Hereafter, he will be punished for neglecting
to fast, as he will be punished for his blasphemy. Rather, the obligation on the
non-Muslim is to embrace Islam, then afterwards, to fast Ramadan.
Secondly, it is the pubescent Muslim who is obligated to fast. The child is not
obligated to fast. Rather, it is an obligation on the parents or the guardian of
the boy or girl to order him to fast once he is 7 (lunar) years old, with the
condition that the child’s body can withstand that fasting, and he would not be
harmed by it.