Saum: An act of discipline

SAUM – THE DISCIPLINE OF SELF-RESTRAINT

By Paigham Mustafa

Fasting is commonly understood as abstaining from food and drink, usually for religious or penitential purposes. Cruden’s Concordance notes that across cultures, fasting has been associated with mourning, sorrow and affliction—an observation borne out in the religious history of many peoples.

Among the Jews, fasting functioned largely as a sign of grief. David is said to have fasted for seven days during the illness of his infant son (II Samuel 12:16, 18). Elsewhere, fasting marks bereavement or communal lament, and the Mosaic Law prescribes the Day of Atonement as a time of fasting (Leviticus 16:29), during which people were told to “afflict” their souls while the priest performed rites of atonement. From these practices emerged the idea that fasting was an act of penitence—an outward sign of inner remorse.

The biblical tradition also links fasting to preparation for revelation, as in the case of Moses. Later, Christians associated fasting with the sorrow of Christ’s physical absence. Yet Christianity did not radically alter the inherited meaning of fasting: it remained bound to mourning, piety and self-denial rooted in penitence.

Sunnism, as practised traditionally, developed its own understanding of fasting, making it a regular ritual during the month of Ramadan. This represented a significant shift. The practice was detached from the themes of appeasing divine anger or eliciting divine mercy. Instead, fasting was reframed as a moral, spiritual and physical discipline. By institutionalising it annually, traditional Sunnism disassociated it from grief and sorrow and recast it as a structured exercise in piety.

But the Quran itself does not prescribe ritual fasting in the way it is commonly understood. The key term—saum—has been consistently mistranslated as “fasting”, even though its Quranic meaning is far broader: self-discipline, self-restraint, deliberate abstention or self-controll, depending on context. While saum can include refraining from food and drink, it is not confined to this and should not be reduced to a single dimension.

The divergence between the Quranic concept and the traditional interpretation becomes clear when examining key verses. A striking example appears in the story of Mary. After giving birth to Jesus, she is instructed in verse 19:26 to eat, drink and be comforted. Yet Yusuf Ali’s translation reads: “I have vowed a fast to the Most Gracious, and this day will I enter into no talk with any human being.” Here, saum is rendered as “fast”, even though Mary is explicitly eating and drinking—actions which would violate a literal fast, i.e abstinence from food and drink. The verse’s meaning becomes contradictory under the traditional reading: Mary, a righteous woman and a new mother, would hardly claim to be fasting while she was not. Nor would a lactating mother be required to starve herself, jeopardising her own health and that of her infant. Such an interpretation conflicts with both reason and the compassion attributed to God.

Read correctly, the verse simply states that Mary abstained from speaking about the extraordinary circumstances of her child’s birth. Her saum was an act of disciplined and dignified silence—self-restraint applied to speech, not food. To restrict saum exclusively to dietary abstention obscures its broader, more nuanced meaning within the Quran.

Despite this, the dominant tradition frames Ramadan as a month-long ritual in which Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and other physical indulgences from dawn to sunset. This practice is treated as a central religious obligation. Yet when assessed through the lenses of health, economics and ethics, it becomes difficult to defend as spiritually beneficial—let alone Quranically mandated.

From a physiological perspective, long daylight fasts—particularly in summer—place strain on the body. Nutritionists describe how, after hours without sustenance, the body begins drawing on energy reserves, often leaving individuals light-headed, lethargic or irritable. Research on athletes fasting during Ramadan shows deteriorating performance as the month progresses, driven by disrupted sleep, dehydration and irregular eating patterns. These findings challenge the popular assumption that prolonged fasting improves health.

Some argue that short-term fasting sharpens mental clarity by interrupting daily routines. While there is limited evidence to support this, the potential benefits are modest compared with the widespread fatigue and reduced productivity observed in many communities that practise extended fasting.

Economic contradictions also arise. One of the stated aims of ritual fasting is to cultivate frugality. Yet in practice, Ramadan often prompts increased spending, indulgence in rich foods, and nightly feasts that far exceed normal consumption patterns. Far from tightening budgets, many households spend more during Ramadan than at any other time of year. This phenomenon also allows retailers to exploit the seasonal surge in demand by raising prices—hardly a reflection of Quranic principles of fairness and moderation.

The idea that fasting fosters empathy with the poor is similarly weakened by reality. Overspending by the affluent drives up food prices, making basic staples less affordable for those already struggling. In many societies, the poor are effectively punished by the very ritual that is supposed to reflect solidarity with them. The Quran insists that the wealthy have a responsibility to raise the standard of living of the poor, not worsen their hardship. Yet the conventional Ramadan fast, in practice, contributes to exactly that.

Charities, meanwhile, experience a flood of donations during Ramadan. While generosity is commendable, it is difficult to argue that this seasonal spike has resolved structural poverty in any country. The cycle continues year after year, suggesting that ritual generosity without systemic change offers little long-term relief.

There is also a widespread belief that Ramadan itself is a time of salvation—an idea that includes the notion that God restrains Satan throughout the month, rendering believers less susceptible to moral failure. Yet corruption, injustice and wrongdoing persist throughout Ramadan as they do throughout the year. Devotion cannot be confined to a calendar month, nor does moral discipline arrive automatically with the moon’s appearance.

National productivity further suffers. Reduced energy levels, irregular sleep and nocturnal feasting mean shorter working hours and decreased efficiency. Businesses slow down, and public services often operate at diminished capacity. The social cost is significant, and widely acknowledged, though rarely questioned openly.

Taken together, the psychological uplift some may feel during Ramadan is outweighed by the health risks, economic distortions and social inequities the ritual produces. The traditional fast obscures rather than illuminates the Quranic vision of saum.

The Quran frames saum not as a ritualised abstinence from food but as an ethic of self-restraint applied to difficult circumstances. Verse 2:185, often cited as prescribing the Ramadan fast, speaks of guidance revealed during an intense period and instructs those who witness such conditions to undertake saum—self-discipline. Those ill or burdened with unavoidable duties may complete their discipline later. The verse emphasises ease rather than hardship, and gratitude rather than deprivation. When read through the lens of Mary’s saum in verse 19:26, the meaning becomes clearer: self-restraint suited to the situation at hand, not a rigid dietary ritual.

The term ramadhan itself means intense or scorching heat, derived from a root associated with burning or searing conditions. Lane’s Lexicon points to meanings of intensity or fervour. To label a lunar month—whose position shifts annually—as “intense heat” is incongruous, and the Quran explicitly prohibits the manipulation or alternating of months (Verse 9.37). The more coherent reading is that ramadhan refers not to a calendar month but to an extreme or testing period: a time of heightened pressure demanding heightened discipline. It was during such an intense historical moment, marked by fear and upheaval, that the Quran was revealed.

Understood in this way, saum becomes a dynamic moral discipline: the conscious restraint required to navigate crisis, injustice or personal turmoil. It is not a prescribed ritual of hunger but a flexible, context-based ethic. Extreme circumstances call for deliberate measures. The Quran’s guidance emerges from such moments—and instructs believers to employ self-restraint, clarity and discipline when confronting their own.

© 2026 Paigham Mustafa

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paigham Mustafa has been engaged in the study and research of the Quran since 1988 and has contributed to the print media for over 37 years. His first major work, The Quran: God’s Message to Mankind, was published in 2016, followed by The Divine Blueprint in 2022. He is also the author of How To Be Human, published in 2025. His exegesis of the Quran often challenges traditional readings, offering instead a reasoned and objective analysis of the original text. His works provide essential guidance,  helping readers gain a clearer, more informed understanding of Islam. This helps address many of the issues that stem from misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and misconceptions

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