he is obligated to pray and is commanded to do so. Among those who held the opinion that he should be commanded to fast if he has the capacity are Ata, al-Hasan, Ibn Sirin, al-Zuhri, Qatada, and al-Shafi'i. Al-Awza'i said: If he has the capacity to fast for three consecutive days without failing or becoming weak, he is burdened with the fasting of the month of Ramadan. Ishaq said: If he reaches twelve years of age, I prefer that he be charged with fasting for the sake of habituation. Weighing it against the age of ten is more appropriate, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered disciplining for prayer at that age, and weighing fasting against prayer is better due to the proximity of one to the other, and their agreement in that they are both bodily acts of worship from the pillars of Islam, except that fasting is more difficult, so capacity was considered for it, for one may have the capacity to pray while not having the capacity for it.

Section: Fasting is not mandatory for him until he reaches puberty. Ahmad said regarding a boy who has a wet dream: He fasts and does not leave it, and similarly for a girl when she begins menstruating. This is the opinion of most scholars. Some of our companions held the view that it is mandatory for a boy who has the capacity for it when he reaches ten years of age, based on what Ibn Jurayj narrated from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Labibah, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If a boy has the capacity to fast for three days, the fasting of the month of Ramadan becomes mandatory upon him." And because it is a bodily act of worship, it resembles prayer, and the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that one who reaches ten years of age be disciplined for prayer. The former is the madhhab (school). Al-Qadi said: The madhhab according to me, as a single narration, is that prayer and fasting do not become mandatory until one reaches puberty, and what Ahmad said regarding one who neglects prayer is that he should make it up. We interpret it as being for recommendation (istihbab); this is due to the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The pen is lifted from three: from the child until he reaches puberty, from the insane person until he regains his sanity, and from the sleeper until he wakes up." And because it is a bodily act of worship, it is not mandatory upon a child, like Hajj. Their hadith is mursal (a report with a missing link at the level of the Successors), and furthermore, we interpret it as being for recommendation, and he termed it mandatory to emphasize its recommendation, just as his saying, peace be upon him: "Ghusl (full-body ablution) on Friday is mandatory for every person who has reached puberty."