Reaching the age of puberty through menstruation or ejaculation is called natural puberty. When a person reaches puberty naturally, he/she becomes mukallaf, that is, his/her religious obligations start. It is possible that a boy or a girl reaches the age of puberty but the boy does not ejaculate and the girl does not menstruate. (Such a boy is called a “murahiq” and such a girl is called a “murahiqa”.)

In this case, the age of fifteen, which is the end of age limit for religious obligation, is regarded as the starting time of the religious obligations. That is, when a girl or boy becomes fifteen years old, they are regarded to have reached the age of puberty even if they have not reached puberty naturally; and they become mukallaf. Reaching the age of puberty like that is called nominal puberty.