Fasting and almsgiving

Two duties that turn belief into action

Sawm and Zakah are acts of worship through which Muslims put obedience to Allah into everyday practice. Sawm involves controlling bodily desires; Zakah involves sharing wealth. Both encourage Muslims to look beyond their own wants and recognise their responsibilities towards others.

Both are among the Sunni Five Pillars and the Shi’a Ten Obligatory Acts. Shi’a Muslims also practise Khums as a separate financial duty.

Why Muslims fast during Ramadan

Sawm means fasting. Its main obligatory observance takes place during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This calendar follows the Moon, so Ramadan moves through the seasons rather than always falling at the same time of the solar year.

The duty has its basis in the Qur’an. Qur’an 2:183 teaches that fasting is prescribed for believers, as it was for earlier communities, so that they may develop self-restraint and awareness of God. Muslims therefore fast first of all because Allah commands it, not simply because hunger might have useful effects.

Ramadan also remembers the beginning of the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad. Fasting helps Muslims concentrate on Allah’s guidance rather than bodily desires, making the month a time of thanksgiving for the Qur’an.

What a day of fasting involves

Muslims who are required to fast do not eat or drink from dawn to sunset. They also abstain from smoking and sexual activity during those hours. Before dawn, they may eat the meal called suhur. At sunset, they break the fast with iftar, often beginning with dates before eating a larger meal.

Fasting is more than going without food. Muslims should avoid lying, unkind speech and harmful behaviour, and make an effort to control their thoughts and actions. Some also avoid music or other activities they consider distractions from worship. The purpose is moral as well as physical self-discipline: a person should try to become more obedient and compassionate, not merely hungry.

During Ramadan, many Muslims spend extra time praying, attending the mosque and reading the Qur’an. Some read or hear the whole Qur’an in sections over the month. Sharing iftar with family, friends or the wider community connects personal worship with communal life.

The benefits of fasting

Resisting hunger and thirst develops self-control. Muslims practise choosing obedience to Allah over an immediate desire, which can help them resist wrongdoing at other times too. Extra prayer and Qur’an study strengthen their relationship with Allah and encourage reflection on how they live.

Hunger can also develop sympathy for people who lack enough food. It reminds Muslims to be grateful for what they have and to help others. This is one reason many choose to give Zakah or additional charity during Ramadan.

Fasting strengthens the ummah, the worldwide Muslim community. Muslims share the same religious commitment, while shared meals and mosque worship bring local communities together. These are spiritual and social benefits; fasting is not a guarantee that every person will experience them equally.

Who is exempt, and why?

The duty recognises that fasting should not cause serious harm. Qur’an 2:185 teaches that Allah wants ease rather than hardship.

• Children below puberty are not obliged to fast because they have not yet reached the stage of full religious responsibility.
• People who are ill, or whose medical condition makes fasting unsafe, are exempt to protect their health.
• Frail elderly people may be unable to fast safely because of lasting weakness or illness.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women may be exempt where fasting could harm them or their baby.
• Menstruating women do not fast during menstruation under Islamic rules governing religious observance; they make up the missed days later.
• Travellers may postpone fasting because a journey can create hardship.

Where the exemption is temporary, missed days are normally made up after Ramadan when the person is able. The distinction is important: an exemption recognises circumstances, rather than treating someone as less committed to Islam.

The Night of Power and Qur’an 96:1–5

The Night of Power, or Laylat al-Qadr, commemorates the night when the angel Jibril first began revealing the Qur’an to Muhammad. It is observed during Ramadan and gives special focus to the month’s connection with revelation.

Qur’an 96:1–5 records the opening message:

‘Read! In the name of your Lord who created: He created man from a clinging form … Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One who taught by [means of] the pen, who taught what he [Muhammad] did not know.’

These verses connect revelation with Allah as Creator and the giver of knowledge. The command to read helps explain why studying and reciting the Qur’an are central to Ramadan: Muslims seek guidance from what they believe Allah revealed, rather than relying only on their own understanding.

Qur’an 97:3 describes the Night of Power as better than a thousand months. Muslims therefore regard worship on this night as especially significant. Many stay awake to pray and read the Qur’an, seeking forgiveness and thanking Allah for revelation.

Zakah: sharing wealth as a religious duty

Zakah is obligatory almsgiving for Muslims with sufficient qualifying wealth. Its origins lie in the Qur’an’s commands to give and in Muhammad’s teaching and practice. Qur’an 2:254 tells believers to spend from what Allah has provided for them. This expresses the belief that wealth is a gift entrusted by Allah, not something to use only for personal pleasure.

The minimum wealth threshold is called the nisab. Those below it are not required to pay Zakah. A common rate is 2.5% of qualifying savings and wealth, normally assessed annually; it is not simply 2.5% of everything a person earns or owns. The rate is established through Islamic teaching and law rather than stated as a percentage in the Qur’an.

In Great Britain, Muslims may give through a mosque, directly to eligible recipients, or through a charity such as Muslim Aid. Mosque collections and charities organise distribution to those in need. In some Muslim-majority countries, Zakah is collected through state arrangements. Many Muslims pay during Ramadan, although the duty is not restricted to that month.

What giving and receiving Zakah achieve

For the giver, Zakah is obedience to Allah and a way of overcoming greed. Its connection with purification expresses the belief that sharing wealth purifies both wealth and the person’s attitude towards it. It turns concern for others into practical action and can strengthen a Muslim’s hope of reward in the afterlife.

For recipients, help can provide essentials such as food, shelter and clothing, relieve debt or support recovery after a disaster. Qur’an 9:60 identifies eligible categories, including the poor, the needy, people in debt and travellers in need. Zakah therefore has defined purposes, rather than being an unrestricted donation to any cause.

For society, transferring resources to those in need can reduce hardship and strengthen solidarity within the ummah. Sadaqah goes beyond this compulsory duty: Muslims are also encouraged to give money, time and practical help voluntarily throughout the year.

Khums in Shi’a Islam

Khums means ‘a fifth’. It has a Qur’anic basis in Qur’an 8:41, which assigns a fifth of gains to Allah and the Messenger, relatives, orphans, the needy and travellers. Its original context concerns gains from battle; Shi’a teaching applies the duty more widely, including to savings.

Shi’a Muslims give 20% of their savings, in addition to Zakah. It is one of their Ten Obligatory Acts, not a replacement for Zakah.

Khums is divided into two shares: one is administered through Shi’a religious authorities, and the other supports eligible poor recipients. It can sustain religious education and community institutions as well as helping people in need. Its significance is therefore both religious and social: it supports the continuation of Islamic teaching while putting responsibility for others into practice.

Sawm: duty and significance

• Obligatory Ramadan fasting: dawn to sunset, without food, drink, smoking or sexual activity.
• Suhur before dawn; iftar at sunset. Avoid wrongdoing; increase prayer, Qur’an study and charity.
• Qur’an 2:183: fasting develops self-restraint and awareness of Allah.
• Benefits: obedience, self-control, gratitude, sympathy for the poor and unity within the ummah.

Exceptions

Children below puberty are not obliged to fast. Illness, frailty, pregnancy or breastfeeding where harm is possible, menstruation and travel can exempt Muslims. Reasons include religious responsibility, religious rules and protection from hardship or harm. Temporarily missed fasts are normally made up later.

Night of Power

• Remembers Jibril beginning the revelation of the Qur’an to Muhammad.
• Qur’an 96:1–5: ‘Read’; Allah creates and teaches humanity. Connect this with Qur’an study and gratitude for guidance.
• Qur’an 97:3: better than a thousand months. Muslims pray, recite and seek forgiveness.

Zakah and Khums

• Zakah: compulsory for those above the nisab; commonly 2.5% of qualifying wealth annually.
• Basis: Qur’anic commands and Muhammad’s example. Given through mosques, charities or directly to eligible recipients.
• Giver: obedience and purification from greed. Recipient: essentials, debt relief and reduced hardship. Community: solidarity.
• Qur’an 9:60 identifies recipients, including the poor, needy, debtors and travellers in need.
• Khums: Shi’a duty, additional to Zakah; 20% of savings. Qur’anic basis: 8:41. Supports religious authorities and institutions, and eligible poor recipients.
• Sadaqah: voluntary charity, not the compulsory payment.