Chapter Seven
Rulings Particular to Women in the Section on Fasting

Fasting the month of Ramadan is obligatory for every Muslim, male and female alike; it is one of the pillars and great foundations of Islam. Allah, Exalted be He, says, “O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may become God-fearing” ⦗al-Baqarah 2:183⦘. (1)

The verb kutiba here means “made obligatory.” Once a girl reaches the age of accountability by the appearance of any sign of puberty—such as menstruation—the fast becomes binding upon her. She may experience her first period as early as nine years old. Some girls, unaware that fasting is now compulsory, continue to abstain from the fast, thinking themselves too young, and their families fail to instruct them otherwise. Such negligence, which results in abandoning a pillar of Islam, is a serious dereliction. Any girl who has acted in this way must make up every day of fasting she missed from the onset of her first menses, even if many years have passed, for the obligation remains upon her. (2)