Ṣawm — Fasting in Ramaḍān
The fourth pillar of Islam: the obligation, purpose, and spiritual dimensions of fasting in the month of Ramaḍān — and what Muslims gain from it.
Ṣawm (صوم) — fasting — is the fourth pillar of Islam. Every Muslim who is able is obligated to fast the month of Ramaḍān: the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, and the month in which the Qur’an was revealed.
The Qur’an commands it directly:
“O you who have believed, fasting has been prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you — that you may attain Taqwā (God-consciousness).”
— al-Baqara, 183
What fasting involves
From the beginning of Fajr (dawn) until Maghrib (sunset), the fasting Muslim abstains from:
- Food and drink of all kinds
- Smoking
- Marital relations
This applies every day for the entire month of Ramaḍān.
Who is obligated to fast?
Fasting Ramaḍān is obligatory for every Muslim who is:
- An adult of sound mind
- Physically able
Exemptions include: those who are seriously ill, travellers, pregnant or nursing mothers, the elderly, and women during menstruation. Those who miss days due to a valid exemption must make them up later; those who cannot fast at all may give fidya (feeding a poor person for each day missed).
What the fast is really about
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Whoever does not give up false speech and acting upon it, Allāh has no need of his giving up food and drink.” (al-Bukhārī)
Ramaḍān is not merely about hunger and thirst — it is a training ground for Taqwā: the heightened consciousness of Allāh that the Qur’an identifies as its purpose. During Ramaḍān, Muslims increase in Qur’an recitation, prayer (Tarāwīḥ), charity (Zakāh), and self-restraint.
The last ten nights of Ramaḍān are especially significant. The Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) falls within them — a night which the Qur’an describes as better than a thousand months.
ʿEid al-Fiṭr
Ramaḍān ends with the sighting of the new moon of Shawwāl. The following day is ʿEid al-Fiṭr — the celebration of breaking the fast — marked by prayer, gratitude, and giving Zakāt al-Fiṭr (a charitable contribution on behalf of every family member) before the ʿEid prayer.
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Every action of the son of Ādam is for himself, except fasting — it is for Me, and I shall reward it.” (Bukhārī and Muslim — Ḥadīth Qudsī)
