11) Children should be instructed to fast at the age of seven if they are able to. The child will be rewarded for fasting, and the parents will be rewarded for guiding him to do good. Al-Rubay' bint Mu'awwidh said, speaking about Ramadan : " We used to make our children fast, and we would make them a toy made out of wool. If any one of them started to cry for food, we would give them that toy to play with until it was time to break the fast. " True compassion for children includes helping them get used to fasting.
12) Fasting is an obligation on every adult who is able to fast, is sane, and is not traveling. Women who do not have menstruation or post-natal bleeding to prevent them are obliged to fast. A person is deemed to have reached adulthood when he or she has reached puberty or attained fifteen years of age. ( A female is obliged to fast when she has started her menstruation, even if she has not yet reached the age of ten. )
13) Abdullah Al-Antaki said to his companions : It is but 4 things [ to be concerned with ] : your eye, tongue, heart, and desire. So warn your eye not to look at anything forbidden; warn your tongue not to speak anything that Allah knows is not true to your heart; warn your heart not to harbor despite or ill-will towards another Muslim; & warn your desires not to long for anything evil. ( Al-Baihaqi in Al-Zuhd ul-Kabeer )
14) Based on an authentic hadeeth related by Tirmidhi, most scholars say that one should not fast during the second half of Sha'ban except for one who has the habit of fasting regularly ( e.g. Mondays and Thursdays ), or has fasting to make up from last Ramadan, or is continuing after fasting the first half of Sha'ban, which is sunnah and Allah knows best.
15) Regarding loans, the Prophet ( peace be upon him ) said :" Whoever takes people's wealth intending to pay it off, Allah will help him to pay it off, but whoever takes it intending to use it up ( without repaying ), Allah will destroy him. "
