Wa alaikum salaam wa rahmatulahi wa barakatuh,

 

At 7 your daughters are not yet obliged to fast. However, if they would like to fast then it can be incredibly beneficial for them to try. Do make it clear that if they do not feel well at any point, then they do not need to continue.

 

You can make this easy for them by doing a number of things.

•If they want to try fasting then let them try. At this age it is not yet obligatory, but they can still benefit from attempting. Do not force them yet as they are not obliged. This could possibly make them have bad feelings towards Ramadan.

•Encourage them to fast on weekends rather than school days where you can be with them at all times to monitor how they are getting on, as well as engaging in Islamic activities.

•If they do fast in a school day, consult with their teachers at the possibility of allowing them to give brief presentation to their class. This will encourage them to have pride in their actions as well as educating their peers and teachers who will be able to support them.

•Keep a reward chart to monitor how many days they fast

•If they are unable to fast an entire day, they could just try fasting half days to practice fasting and get a feel for what it’s like.

•Let them help with making iftar and choose what they want to east

•As they grow older you can then encourage them to fast more days and for longer periods

 

Encouraging them to fast from this young age is a great way to teach them good lessons in gratitude and patience, as it does for us as adults.

 

May Allah reward you for trying to instill a positive image of Islam in your children from a young age, encircling them o the Deen. May they grow to be pious pillars of the community.