What Arabic term does Wikipedia use for the dawn-to-dusk fasting that Eid al-Fitr concludes?

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The Arabic term Wikipedia uses for dawn-to-dusk fasting is Sawm.

Sawm means fasting and is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims generally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity from dawn until sunset. The fast is also understood as spiritual discipline: worshippers are expected to avoid sinful conduct and cultivate patience, gratitude, charity, and empathy.

Eid al-Fitr begins on 1 Shawwal, after Ramadan ends. Its name means the festival of breaking the fast, so the holiday does not itself conclude a single daily fast; it marks the end of the month-long fasting period. The lunar calendar makes Ramadan and Eid move through the Gregorian seasons over time.

Sawm is often confused with salah, the Arabic term for ritual prayer, or with zakat, obligatory charity. Tawaf means circumambulation of the Kaaba, while Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca. Those are distinct Islamic practices, not names for fasting.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Sept. 2026

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