How can we teach our children to fast during Ramadan?

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Ramadan is a time of goodness and blessings and is akin to a school for nurturing the emerging generations in their devotion to acts of obedience. During this sacred month, the Muslim learns numerous moral lessons and beneficial teachings.

Among these are enduring the challenge of fasting for an entire month, practising generosity and giving towards family and kin, showing kindness and benevolence to the poor and those in need, and striving in acts of devotion such as night prayers, Salatu t-Tarawih, and reviving the Night of Value, among other forms of worship.

Teach your child the virtues of goodness during Ramadan

Fasting is not only a lesson for adults and the pubescent youth but also for children, whenever parents understand how to make the most of this blessed month and utilise it to achieve the greatest sought-after benefits.

This blessed month presents a favourable opportunity for the mother, as she spends much of her time with her children. She bears the important responsibility of nurturing, guiding, and encouraging them to engage in acts of worship. By the end of the month, she will witness the positive impact it has had on her children and their behaviour.

Encourage them to wake up early

Waking children for sahur (pre-dawn meal) brings them happiness, as it introduces a change in their routine. Additionally, performing the Fajr prayer in congregation with the family reinforces the practice of praying together, helping them break the habit of sleeping through dawn and become accustomed to waking up early.

Teach them generosity and instil in them the love of charity

When parents make an effort to take their children to the mosque to give food to the poor, it helps the child understand the importance of charity and feeding the fasting poor. This fosters a love for goodness, generosity, and compassion towards their fellow Muslims, both during Ramadan and throughout the year. The child’s experience of hunger nurtures their empathy for the poor, who often struggle to find food to satisfy their hunger.

Teach your child the love of acts of obedience

Parents should instil the fundamental concepts of fasting in their child's heart and explain the meaning of reward and recompense. This will inspire enthusiasm in the child to observe this obligation and help them appreciate the significance of Zakatu l-Fitr and its importance to the poor.

Instil in him a love for the mosques

The father should encourage the child to walk to the mosque to attend religious lessons, perform prayers, and engage in i'tikaf (spiritual retreat). In doing so, the father becomes both a teacher and a positive role model, whose words and actions the child can look up to and emulate.

Encourage them to engage in collective effort for the benefit of the community

The mother should allow her children to help her prepare the food, as this brings them joy, occupies their time, and teaches them the value of teamwork.

Encourage them to endure hunger and cultivate patience in them

Our righteous predecessors serve as an example for us. For instance, Ar-Rabi^ bintu Ma^udh (one of the female companions) narrated:

إنه لما أمرنا رسول الله ﷺ بِصِيام عاشُورَاء كنا نصومه ونُصَوِّم صبيَانَنا حتى إذا بكى على الطَّعام نُعطِيه اللُّعبَة مِنَ العِهْنِ (القُطنِ) حتى يكون الإفطار

"When the Prophet ﷺ instructed us to fast on the Day of ^Ashura’, we would fast and have our children fast as well. When they cried for food, we would give them a toy made of cotton until it was time to break the fast."

In this way, the child gradually becomes accustomed to fasting and forms an attachment to it at an early age.

Parents should progressively train their children to fast. When a child reaches seven lunar years and becomes capable of fasting, their guardian must teach them how to fast and then command them to do so. If the child is not yet able to fast, the guardian should begin by introducing it in stages, slowly increasing the child's capacity to endure the fast.

The Role of Grandparents

The grandfather and grandmother play a crucial role in a child’s upbringing, as they share with them the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the stories of the other Prophets, and the lives of heroic companions, such as ^Aliyy ibnu ‘Abi Talib, Khalid ibnu l-Walid, ‘Abu ^Ubaydah ibnu l-Jarrah, and others. Through these stories, they instil in the hearts of the young profound principles, noble morals, courage, sacrifice, altruism, and a deep love for patience.

As the poet said:

وينشأ ناشئ الفتيان منا *** على ما كان عوده أبوه

"And the youth grows in our midst, relying on
What his father has taught him, all along."

Teach him the Qur'an and a love for it

Ramadan presents a tremendous opportunity to teach children to read and memorise the Qur'an, with rewards offered to motivate them. In doing so, parents come to recognise the greatness of the Creator and His rights upon His servants. This practice instils in the child the fear of Allah, which is the essence of piety, and teaches them to humble themselves by refraining from pleasures, both in food and drink. Ramadan thus becomes a wonderful occasion to cultivate a love of goodness in our children.