diff --git a/lib/rabl-fast-json/template.rb b/lib/rabl-fast-json/template.rb
index b5e78e2..0a755ca 100644
--- a/lib/rabl-fast-json/template.rb
+++ b/lib/rabl-fast-json/template.rb
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ module RablFastJson
     def render_resource(data = nil, source = nil)
       data ||= @object
       source ||= @source
-
+      
       source.inject({}) { |output, current|
         key, value = current
 
@@ -61,9 +61,12 @@ module RablFastJson
       @context.respond_to?(name) ? @context.send(name, *args, &block) : super
     end
     
-    def partial(template_path, options = {})
-      raise "No object was given to partial" if options[:object].blank?
+    def partial(template_path, options = {})      
+      raise "No object was given to partial" if options[:object].nil?
       object = options[:object]
+
+      return [] if object.respond_to?(:empty?) && object.empty?
+      
       template = Library.instance.get(template_path)
       object.respond_to?(:each) ? template.render_collection(object) : template.render_resource(object)
     end
diff --git a/test/compiled_template_test.rb b/test/compiled_template_test.rb
index 983c363..96ea262 100644
--- a/test/compiled_template_test.rb
+++ b/test/compiled_template_test.rb
@@ -57,4 +57,35 @@ class TestCompiledTemplate < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     @template.source = { :name => [condition, proc] }
     assert_equal({}, @template.render)
   end
+  
+  test "partial should be evaluated at rendering time" do
+    # Set assigns
+    @context.stub(:instance_variable_get).with(:@_assigns).and_return({'user' => @data})
+    @data.stub(:respond_to?).with(:empty?).and_return(false)
+    
+    # Stub Library#get
+    t = RablFastJson::CompiledTemplate.new
+    t.source, t.context = { :name => :name }, @context
+    RablFastJson::Library.reset_instance
+    RablFastJson::Library.instance.should_receive(:get).with('users/base').and_return(t)
+
+    @template.data = false
+    @template.source = { :user => ->(s) { partial('users/base', :object => @user) } }
+    
+    assert_equal({ :user => { :name => 'foobar' } }, @template.render)
+  end
+  
+  test "partial with nil values should raise an error" do
+    @template.data = false
+    @template.source = { :user => ->(s) { partial('users/base') } }
+    
+    assert_raises(RuntimeError) { @template.render }
+  end
+  
+  test "partial with empty values should not raise an error" do
+    @template.data = false
+    @template.source = { :users => ->(s) { partial('users/base', :object => []) } }
+    
+    assert_equal({ :users => [] }, @template.render)
+  end
 end
\ No newline at end of file