The first verses of the Quran sent by the Great Creator to the venerable Great Prophet were the first five verses of Surah al-Alaq:
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
1. Read! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created.
2. Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
3. Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,-
4. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen,-
5. Taught man that which he knew not.

Islam is a humane and reasonable religion, there are always exceptions. Thus, pregnant and lactating women, minors, the elderly and the sick are exempt from observing Ramadan. Travelers on a long journey can also eat and drink during Ramadan. But apart from the sick and elderly, the rest must then fill in all the missed days of fasting. And if a Muslim, due to illness or old age, is unable to fast in the month of Ramadan, then instead of each day of fasting, he is obliged to pay “fidya”.

Ramadan is a month in which fasting is obligatory. It is known that children are not required to fast until a certain age. In Islam, fasting is a mandatory requirement for an intelligent person from the moment he comes of age; this is 15 years for boys, and 9 years for girls according to the lunar calendar.