Grand Ayatollah Sistani answers some questions on fasting
Question: What is the Islamic ruling in regards to someone who attained the age of puberty but he/she did not fast? Does he/she have to give kaffara in addition to the Qadha of the fasts?
Answer: If he thinks that he did not know the meaning of taklif (obligation) at that time or considers probable that he was certain that eating was allowed, observing the Qadha of the skipped fast only is sufficient.
2. Question: How is puberty confirmed?
Answer: Puberty in males could be confirmed if one of three signs was present.
1. First: Completion of fifteen lunar calendar years of age (equal to 14 years and seven months and fifteen days of the solar calendar).
2. Second: Ejaculation through sexual intercourse or seminal discharge while awake or asleep.
3. Third: The presence of pubic hair, of the rough type, similar to head hair.
4. Fourth: The presence of hair on the face and above the lips.
3. Question: When is a girl considered adult from the viewpoint of Sharia?
Answer: She is considered adult at the completion of nine lunar years (equal to eight years and eight months and twenty days of the solar calendar).
source : hawzahnews
