Q: Is this true or false? I thought I read this in a book somewhere. Any thoughts?
A: You dont need the permission of ANYONE for fasting. As Mohammad K. has rightly pointed out, if you follow the religion of Bukhari, then you may be needing that, and a lot of other miseries. But if you are following the Quran, which Prophet Mohammad followed, then "NO", you don't need the permission of anyone.