Sawm

Sawm (Arabic: صوم‎; plural: صيام ṣiyām) is an Arabic word for fasting regulated by Islamic jurisprudence. In the terminology of Islamic law, sawm means to abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. The observance of sawm during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, but is not confined to that month.

Etymology

Ṣawm is derived from Syriac: ܨܘܡܐ‎ ṣawmā. Literally, it means "to abstain", cognates to Hebrew tsom.Fasting is not unique to the Muslims. It has been practiced for centuries in connection with religious ceremonies by Christians, Jews, Confucianists, Hindus, Taoists, and Jains. However Islam is the only religion that has retained the outward and spiritual dimensions of fasting throughout the centuries.

Other languages

For example, the Muslims of Central Asia, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey use the words roza/rozha/roja/oruç, which comes from Persian. While the Malay community in Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore call it puasa, which is derived from Sanskrit, upvaasa, puasa is also used in Indonesia, Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines.