Raami returned home after decorating the street with his friends and playing with firecrackers to celebrate the advent of the month of Ramadan. As soon as he returned, he went to his room as he was very tired and fell asleep. He woke up when his father called him to have Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal), "Raami, get up! Today is the first day of Ramadan. Happy Ramadan! Don't you want to fast?"
Raami replied determinedly, "I do."
His fathers said, "Then get up to have Suhoor."
Raami got up and sat at the table, rubbing his eyes with sleep. Then he remembered that he would be fasting the following day, and started eating as much food as possible so that he would not feel hungry while fasting. He started eating without mentioning the name of Allah (saying Bismillaah) and began wolfing down everything in sight.
After this, he grabbed the water and took many gulps fearing that he might feel thirsty while fasting. When he finished eating, he went to bed to sleep once more. His father kept calling him to pray Fajr (dawn prayer), but in vain.
Raami thought it would be best to sleep as much as he could during the day to avoid feeling hungry while fasting. Thus, he woke up when the Maghrib (sunset) prayer was due. When he got up, he rushed to the dining room and started eating greedily without mentioning the name of Allah (saying Bismillaah). He did not even praise Allah (say Alhamdulillaah) when he finished eating. After this, he sat down to watch comedy shows and children's programs on television.
How does your child feel when he is fasting?
Some children, if not most of them, feel afraid of fasting as they will be deprived of food, drink and candies for a long time. Thus, they fear that they will not be able to perform the fast.
Some other children are determined and observe fasting throughout the month of Ramadan from an early age. The difference between those children and the other ones lies in their upbringing.
How have we trained our children for the month of Ramadan?
The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, used to let their children fast and prevent them from food, but at the same time they used to give them toys to play with to help them forget their hunger and thirst. This indicates the profound understanding of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them.
This is what we should do with our children. Our children should feel that the month of Ramadan is a month that they love. We should instill these feelings in their hearts from an early age so that they are established when they grow up.
Many parents complain that their children break their fast or smoke in the month of Ramadan, unfortunately such cases do exist in our Muslim society, but they are the outcome of the parents' negligence in instilling the values of loving the month of Ramadan in the children's hearts.
The month of Ramadan is a great educational incubator for our children as the communal atmosphere of faith instills many values in our children's hearts.
The Taraaweeh Prayer: a great indicator
Some children love mosques and like to stay in them. You can see them during the Taraaweeh prayers with the grown-up people and they might even complete the prayer until the end. Such children might even attend the Tahajjud (voluntary night prayers) and perform I‘tikaaf (staying in seclusion).
Unfortunately, the majority of the children just pray the ‘Ishaa’ prayer with their parents, then start playing with firecrackers outside the mosque. The third party does not pray the ‘Ishaa’ prayer at all, but they keep watching comedy shows and television programs as they imitate their parents and their families.
Such children are victims of the distractions propagated by the devils from humankind and the people of falsehood. Indeed, the month of Ramadan is a great opportunity to instill faith in the hearts of children. We should not let our children miss this chance.
The phenomenon of fasting without praying
Unfortunately, this phenomenon is widespread among the adults, not just the children.
However, children should not be reproached or given the impression that their fast will not be accepted. For instance, the father whose son observes fasts, but does not pray, should tell him, "If you observe prayer while fasting, Allah The Almighty would love you more" or " You are a good boy! You have observed fast since the beginning of this month and if you observe the prayers too, you will be the best one in the sight of Allah".
These statements are encouraging and do not discourage the child's enthusiasm towards fasting, on the contrary, they drive him to obey Allah The Almighty with love and commitment.