Sawm is the Arabic term for the fasting pillar of Islam.
In its most familiar form, sawm refers to fasting during Ramadan, Islam’s ninth month. From dawn until sunset, adult Muslims generally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity. The fast is broken after sunset and resumed before dawn.
Fasting is intended to cultivate God-consciousness, self-discipline, gratitude, and concern for people who experience hunger. The Quran connects the Ramadan fast with developing taqwa, often translated as piety or reverence.
Sawm is broader than Ramadan fasting: voluntary fasts are also practiced at other times. Children, travelers, pregnant or breastfeeding women, older people, and those who are ill may have exemptions or alternative obligations, depending on circumstances and interpretation. Sawm is therefore not simply a rule about going without food; it is a form of worship with ethical and spiritual dimensions.