At what age is fasting obligatory upon a child, or is one commanded to practice it?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Fasting
Primary text
Fasting is obligatory only upon reaching puberty ( ihtilām for a male, menstruation for a female), which is the position of the majority of scholars. The argument for this is the Prophet's saying: "The pen is lifted from three: the child until he reaches puberty, the insane until he regains sanity, and the sleeper until he wakes up." Furthermore, since it is a bodily act of worship, it is not obligatory upon a child, similar to Hajj.
Supporting text
Some companions hold that a capable boy is obligated to fast once he reaches the age of ten, based on the report that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "When a boy is capable of fasting three days, the fast of Ramadan becomes obligatory upon him." This is based on analogy to the command to discipline children for prayer at age ten, as fasting is physically harder than prayer.