Sawm

Allah commands you to seek knowledge

“My Lord, increase me in knowledge” (Surah Ta-Ha 20:114). DeenUp turns that command into a daily habit — a swipeable feed of bite-sized, scholar-approved Islamic lessons, quick quizzes, and daily streaks.

Download DeenUp on the App Store

What is Sawm?

Sawm derives from the Arabic root ṣ-w-m, meaning to abstain or restrain oneself. In Islamic practice, it specifically refers to abstaining from food, drink, and other physical needs from before dawn until sunset, most prominently during the obligatory month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Theologically, Sawm is the fourth of the five pillars of Islam and is presented in the Qur'an as an obligation shared with earlier faith communities, explicitly described as a means to attain taqwa — a heightened awareness and consciousness of Allah. This framing positions fasting not as an isolated act of physical hardship, but as a training exercise for the soul, designed to strengthen willpower and spiritual sensitivity.

Historically, Ramadan holds special significance as the month in which the Qur'an began to be revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, adding a layer of commemorative meaning to the month-long fast. Islamic scholars across centuries have written extensively on the conditions, exemptions, and etiquettes of Sawm, developing detailed guidance to accommodate travelers, the sick, the elderly, and others for whom fasting would pose genuine hardship.

Spiritually, Sawm is often described as a uniquely private act of worship, since only the individual and Allah truly know whether the fast is being kept in secret. This quality gives fasting a distinct sincerity, stripped of any possibility of showing off. Beyond the physical restraint from food and drink, Muslims are also encouraged to fast with their tongues and behavior, avoiding gossip, anger, and harmful speech throughout the day.

In contemporary life, Ramadan transforms daily rhythms for hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, reshaping work schedules, family gatherings, and community life around suhoor and iftar. Beyond the individual dimension, Sawm often heightens communal generosity, with mosques and families organizing shared iftar meals and increased charitable giving throughout the month.

Examples of Sawm

• Fasting during Ramadan: A Muslim abstains from food and drink from dawn to sunset each day throughout the month of Ramadan.
• Eating suhoor before dawn: A person wakes before Fajr to eat a light pre-dawn meal in preparation for the day's fast.
• Breaking the fast with dates: Following the Prophet's ﷺ example, a fasting person breaks their fast at sunset with dates and water before the evening meal.
• Voluntary Monday and Thursday fasts: A Muslim chooses to fast outside Ramadan on Mondays and Thursdays, following an established Sunnah practice.

References in Qur'an & Hadith

"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous." — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183

"The month of Ramadan [is that] in which was revealed the Qur'an, a guidance for the people and clear proofs of guidance and criterion." — Surah Al-Baqarah 2:185

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Fasting is a shield." — Sahih al-Bukhari 1894