Sawm is the Arabic term for the fasting pillar of Islam observed during Ramadan.
Sawm means fasting and is commonly identified as the fourth of Islam’s Five Pillars. During Ramadan, adult Muslims who are physically able generally abstain from food, drink, smoking, and sexual activity from dawn until sunset. The fast is broken each evening with iftar and resumed before dawn.
Fasting is intended to cultivate piety, self-discipline, gratitude, and concern for people experiencing hunger. Islamic law recognizes exemptions or concessions for groups including children, people who are ill, travelers, and pregnant or nursing women, with details varying by circumstance and interpretation.
Sawm is broader than Ramadan fasting in the linguistic sense: voluntary fasting can also take place at other times. The other pillars are the declaration of faith, prayer, almsgiving, and pilgrimage to Mecca.