Interesting discussion. Hope, I am not intruding or butting in. Following, I found in a book I have been studying for sometime. Thought you might want to have a read. A PDF version of the book is available online at
https://thequrantheuntoldtruths.com/I copy/paste the whole chapter on Saum: (A bit long, but I guarantee you that it is worth your time.)
24. Does 'saum' means 'fasting' in the quran?
'Saum' which the Muslims have defined as 'fasting' is another contentious topic in the religion of Islam, not simply because of the erroneous understanding of what 'saum' means, but because of the criterion and the methodology of determination on when to start and when to end the month. There are many schools of thoughts surrounding 'fasting' in Sunni and Shia Islam with regards to 'fasting in Ramadan'. During this period, they abstain from eating, drinking and intimacy with their wives, from dawn to dusk for a month. Some believe, that they should start the month of fasting after siting the new moon (Hilaal) according to Hadith and end fasting after siting the 'Hilaal' for the following month. Others believe that they should follow the modern scientific forecast, which determines the beginning of the month way in advance. There are others who follow the personal decision of their priest and many who follow the decision of the government of Saudi Arabia even if they live in a different country and time zone. It always becomes a contentious topic in certain communities and creates a lot of confusion, though many feel it is not worth debating. Whatever each individual believes on this topic, the issues on contention have not disappeared even after a millennium has passed.
If an apparently simple religious ritual like this has created strife in communities which claim to believe the same scripture and messenger and want to unite mankind, what possibly could they be doing wrong? Are we to believe that the all-merciful god and his messenger left room for discord among the followers of the same scripture and messenger? What if our current understanding of 'saum' is erroneous and 'fasting' is not what the god intended us to do? What, if it is a simple concept to understand when we properly study the 'fully detailed and clear' Quran? Are we to wait until all the religious priests come to a consensus or should we use our God given intellect and the scripture to understand what it really means? I would certainly settle for the latter. If you are with me, let's dive in.
Most people are in the impression that saum is only prescribed during the period of Ramadan in the quran. The fact is, saum has been mentioned in many chapters in the quran. The god has prescribed saum in the quran for different reasons and purposes such as to seek guidance, for social and personal reasons, and as a penalty or to discipline an individual. In order to correctly understand what saum means, we have to study the context of the verses where saum is mentioned in the quran. So then, what is 'saum'?
As per the context of the verses below, which contain the word 'saum', it can be defined as 'Self-discipline' to achieve an outcome.
For instance in the quran, verse 19:26 God instruct Mary (Mother of Jesus) to inform the people, that she had undertaken saum from speaking, and thus shall not speak to any human being that day.
Quran 19:26
So indulge yourself (= kulee washrabee) and be content. And if you see from among men anyone, say, "Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful self-discipline from speech (= sauman), so I will not speak today to [any] man.'
If we read all the verses from 19:22 to 19:33, it will be clear that this saum was for a social reason and neither to seek guidance nor punitive. And clearly, it is not to abstain from food, drink and intimacy. She had simply taken a 'vow of silence' that day – self-discipline in silence. It appears that people around her understood what 'saum' meant in their language. It was not a new concept for them.
The verse 5:95 of the quran also talks about 'saum. In order to understand the reason for this saum and what it means, we have to know the subject matter of the verses from 5:94 to 5:98. These verses talk about wildlife conservation, hunting and its restrictions.
I agree with Aidid Safar's rendition on the verses concerning wildlife conservation in his book, 'Mental Bondage'. In verse 5:95 God says that if you kill a wild animal during the restricted period by mistake while hunting, you should let two just men check the maturity (bhaligha = reach maturity = reach it's strength) of the animal by means of its ankle (= Ka'ba) and decide how much financial compensation is proper (to be paid to the wildlife conservation authority) or feed the poor on your own if the authorities are not present or perform saum. It does not indicate how many people to be fed or how many days to perform saum. That depends on the amount of the compensation and the severity of the action. In this verse saum is not to abstain from food, drink, speech or intimacy, but self-discipline of abstention from hunting for a period, as a penalty. The reason the number of days for 'saum' is not specified in the verse is because it depends on the severity of the offense that needs to be determined by 2 just individuals. Self-discipline of abstention is to be observed by the offender even if the authorities are not present, as this could be a test from God as per verse 5:94, to see whether we oblige to HIS commands in privacy.
The rules of hunting and its restrictions are in place in most of the developed countries even now. These restrictions are imposed and monitored by the respective 'wildlife conservation authorities' in the region. Though they may be unaware of the Qurnaic injunctions, they have very similar rules and regulations as mentioned in these verses of the quran. This is an indication that the Quranic injunctions are commonsensical and effective. Let's review the verse 5:95.
Quran 5:95
O you who have believed, do not kill game during prohibited (= hurumun) period. And whoever of you kills it intentionally – the penalty is an equivalent of an animals to what he killed, determine its maturity (= bhaligha) by its ankle (= Ka'bati), as judged by two just men among you or an expiation: the feeding of needy people or self-discipline in abstention from hunting (= siyaman – plural of saum) to bear the burden of the penalty for his deed, that he may taste the consequence of his deed. God has pardoned what is past; but whoever returns (to violation), then God will take retribution from him. And God is Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution.
When you read Quran verses 58:1-4, it is very clear that the saum is not abstaining from food or drink either, but from intimate relationship for 2 months. The verse 58:2 applies to those who put away their wives by pronouncing "you are to me as my mother". Then the verse 58:3 indicate if those men want to go back to their wives after estranging, they should free a man from bondage. The verse 58:4 clearly says if they cannot find a man in bondage to free, perform saum for 2 consecutive months before going back to his wife (metaphorical for intimate relationship). In this instance the man is not supposed to have intimate relationship even at night for 2 consecutive months for estranging his wife. This is prescribed as a punishment as it is generally difficult for a man to go on like this for long. And if he is unable to abide by this rule, or break this saum (= self-discipline of abstention from intimacy) and have intimate relationship with the wife within the specified period, he should feed 60 needy people. Obviously this 'saum' (= self-discipline of abstention from intimacy) applies only to married men.
Quran 58:4
Whoever don't have the means to find a bonded person, let him observe self-discipline of abstention from intimacy (= Siyam – plural of saum) for two consecutive months before the couple may intimately touch each other. And if he is unable to do that, he should arrange the feeding of sixty needy ones. This is so that you may be true to your faith in God and His Messenger. These are the bounds ordained by God. For the deniers is a painful doom.
The verses 4:92-93 also talk about 'saum'. In verse 4:92 saum is prescribed as a punishment for the unintentional killing of a 'believer', to discipline or rehabilitate the offender who cannot afford to pay the compensation to the victim's family and free a bonded person. Sentencing the guilty for 2 consecutive months of saum is to put him in self-discipline of isolation from freedom of movement (similar to a term for rehabilitation) so he can seek repentance from God, learn to amend, so that he can be rehabilitated and assimilate back in to society. This is not about abstaining from food, drink and intimacy. We can learn from the verse that it promotes compensating the victim's family for the loss of their loved one. There is no mention of abstaining from food, drink or intimacy.
Please note, a bonded person could be one who is in slavery, extreme poverty, crushing debt or oppression.
In verse 5:89, three days of saum is prescribed as a punishment for breaking an oath intentionally, if the person cannot afford to feed or cloth 10 poor people or free a slave. The first part of the verse clearly states that God will not impose blame upon unintentional or meaningless oaths. It has to be an intentional oath, which has consequences for the victims if broken, and not simple promises. Examples of serious oaths could be, giving false testimony to a crime, giving false evidence to an abuse or a 'Will', or refusing to take responsibility to an oath which was given earlier on a 'Will' of a deceased, etc. Here too, saum can be understood as a punishment of self-discipline of abstention from giving or witnessing an oath, for the individual to make amend. The individual can make this opportunity to seriously contemplate his act and repent the mistake and seek guidance from God if he so wills. There is no mention of abstaining from food, drink or intimacy.
The verse 33:35 talks about saum in general terms. It says God has prepared for those men and women who are; at peace (= muslim), believing (= mu'min), devoted, truthful, steadfast, humble, charitable, self-disciplining (= saum), chaste and mindful of God, forgiveness and a great recompense. In this verse God does not prescribe saum for anyone, but gives an indication whoever carries out saum (= self-discipline in abstention) and other acts of righteousness constantly, that HE will reward them. No mention of abstaining from food, drink or intimacy here as well.
Quran 33:35
Surely, for men at peace and women at peace, men who believe and women who believe, men who are devoted and women who are devoted, men who are truthful and women who are truthful, men who are steadfast and women who are steadfast, men who are humble and women who are humble, men who are charitable and women who are charitable, men who self-discipline (= sa'eemeena) and women who self-discipline (= sa'eemaati), men who are chaste and women who are chaste, men who remain mindful of God and women who remain mindful of God, for them, God has readied forgiveness and an immense reward.
As per this verse, we are to perform not only saum (= self-discipline), but also advised to be devoted, truthful, steadfast, humble, charitable, chaste and mindful of God, while being a believer at peace with God at all times. So in this verse, God is simply saying that the men and the women who continuously strive in righteousness, HE will forgive and reward them.
So, we can clearly see from all the above Quranic verses that the meaning of 'saum' is far from abstaining from food, drink and intimacy but for our own self-discipline in abstention to achieve a higher purpose in life, whether it is for self-development, self-education, self-reflection or self-obligation. If we broaden our perspective beyond the above verses of the quran, we come to realize that we all perform self-discipline in abstention (= saum) in different ways whether we are aware of it or not, in our daily lives. For example; a person who wants to loose weight, performs saum by going on a strict diet and regular exercise, which requires self-discipline in abstention. A person who wants to maintain good health may abstain certain types of food, which requires self-discipline in abstention. A person who has diabetes may abstain from taking sugar, food that have carbohydrates and change his diet, which require self-discipline in abstention. A person, who wants to get rid of an addiction such as drinking alcohol, drugs or smoking, may require self-discipline in abstention. Likewise, someone who seeks God's guidance also can perform saum in order to achieve this.
Whether it is for our own self-development, self-education, self-reflection or self-obligation, we perform saum time-to-time depending on our needs, circumstances and obligations , as discussed in the Quranic verses above. Therefore, saum (= self-discipline) is not an alien concept for mankind though the Muslims have given an alien meaning to it.
Finally, the most important part of this subject is the 'saum' in ramadhan. In the quran, Chapter 2, verses from 183 to 187 describe 'saum' during 'ramadhan'. The Muslims believe that God prescribed them (young and old, rich and poor) in these verses to abstain from food, drinks and intimacy with their wives, from dawn to dusk for one whole month. They also practice self-restraint on their day-to-day activities by being mindful of their desires, speech, vision and actions, and spend time in repentance. They observe a strict abstention from food and drinks including water from dawn to dusk during this time. They even train the children as young as 7 years old to go through this special program that they call 'fasting'. They practice generosity towards the poor during this month, as they believe that fasting is prescribed for them to feel the 'pain of hunger' of the poor. However, the poor people are not exempt from fasting either. They also emphasize the health benefits of fasting.
Though there are health benefits in fasting for many people, prolonged fasting without water could have negative consequences for many. There are instances where children have unintentionally succumbed to their death due to dehydration. For many who are concerned about their health, intermittent fasting is more appropriate than a strict 30 days fasting without water. If someone lives close to the equator, the duration of the fast is approximately 14 hours a day. However, this kind of strict fasting could be a health risk if we live close to the northern hemisphere during summer where the time period of the actual fast could extend up to 23 hours with one hour to hydrate and start all over again for the next 30 days. If someone is already slim and healthy, what is there for him to achieve from this strict program? Any health plan should be carefully catered for each individual's needs and circumstance. A 'one size fit all' approach of fasting is a bad idea for most people.
But, wait! Is 'fasting' really the intended goal of these verses from 2:183 to 2:187? Are there any reasons mentioned for this exercise (practice), in the quran? What are we suppose to achieve? Let's find out.
When you take all these 5 verses in context, it is clear that saum in these verses are prescribed to seek guidance and not for abstaining from food, drink or intimacy. Therefore, it is a mistake to look at these verses in relation to health benefits. The verse 183 states that saum was prescribed for you as it was, for those before you, that perhaps you may become righteous (Q 2:183). The next verses state, if you do 'saum', it is better for you if you only knew (Q 2:184), The quran was revealed in the period/month (= shahr) of ramadhan as a guidance to mankind consisting of guidance and criterion. God wants to bring you ease and not hardship and so that you may do the exercise (practice), and glorify God because HE has guided you, that you may be thankful (Q 2:185), if My servants ask you (O! messenger) about Me, I am near answering the calls of those who call on Me. So let them respond to Me (= to the quran) and believe in Me so that they may be led aright (Q 2:186). Indulge in learning the quran until it is clear to you as black and white. Then perform saum (self-discipline in seeking guidance) until the nightfall. And do not frown upon your wives while you devote yourself (= a'kifu-na) in the consented decree (= fil-masaaji-di) as they are your confidantes. These are the limits of God (= hudu-dul-lah) and do not violate them. Thus does God makes clear His ordinances to mankind that they may become righteous (Q 2:187).
The purpose of 'saum' is set forth in these verses. It is hard not to notice the emphasis given in these verses for 'divine guidance' to achieve righteousness. Any thinking person would question how going hungry for 30 consecutive days could achieve this objective. It is also important to highlight that verse 2:185 which states that the quran was revealed (to Mohamed) as guidance in the period of ramadhan, which indicates that it can also reveal its guidance to us during such period, if we truly seek it.
Since this Quranic guidance was revealed to Mohamed during ramadhan, it may very well worth to find out what 'ramadhan' really means, in the quran. The word ramadhan is derived from the Arabic word ramidha (رَمِضَ). It means intense heat = great distress = extreme stress = nadir = lowest point in life = worst moment. This is the point of time when Mohamed was searching for truth (guidance) and received the revelation from God, which was his moment of 'divine calling'. We recognize this experience as 'great awakening' = wake up call = tap on the shoulder = spiritual calling = 'Aha' moment = light bulb moment.
A person who has experienced a 'light bulb turning on' moment in their life would understand what it means to feel literal heat (= ramadhan = great distress) in them prior to the 'wake up call'. Generally people experience this moment when they fall into the lowest point of their lives searching for truth, the guidance or the solution to a problem. Sometimes, it could be the most stressful, alienating, excruciating, lonely, confusing and frightening experience of their lives. It is during such periods of great distress (= shahru ramadhan = period of intense heat) that we receive divine guidance (= awakening), and find our will and our inner strength to follow it, which we call 'our light bulb moment' or God's intervention. As per the first part of the verse 2:185, whoever perceives this period of intense heat (= shahru ramadhan = great distress) longing to find guidance, let him perform saum (= self-discipline in seeking guidance from the quran). The god assures us that we may also find guidance from the quran similar to Mohamed receiving it during such trying times in his life, if we truly seek it (See Q 97:1-5 – The night of enlightenment, ie: the light bulb moment). Let's review the first part of verse 2:185
The quran was revealed in the period of great distress (= shahru ramadhan), guidance for the mankind. And it contains clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever perceives this period (in their lives), let him perform saum (self-discipline in seeking guidance)...
Please note, the verse clearly states 'whoever perceives/witness this period of great distress (= faman shahida minkumush-shahra), let him perform saum', which means the 'shahr' or 'this period' will be felt within (= shahida) someone. So, it is a state of mind that can be felt or witnessed by someone, like a distress. If it is a 'month' of a year, there is nothing to feel or witness within, as we already know in advance when exactly it will be. So, 'shahra' mentioned in this verse is 'something' that you will perceive/witness within you'. That 'something' is the 'great distress (= ramadhana)' mentioned in the first part of the verse. Let me breakdown the first part of the verse to better understand:
shahru ramadhana period of great distress
alladhi that/the
unzila was revealed
fihi in
al-quranu the quran
hudan guidance
lin-nasi for mankind
wa-bayyinatin and clear proofs
minal-huda of the guidance
wal-furqani and the criterion
faman so whoever
shahida perceives/witness
minkum among you
ash-shara the period
fal-yasumhu should self-discipline
What it simply says is that the quran was revealed (to Mohamed) as guidance to him and for mankind, at the time period of great distress in his life when he was searching for truth. It has clear proof of the guidance and the criterion. So, whoever perceives or feels the period (of distress) (= shahru ramadhana) in them in their lifetime, he should self-discipline in seeking guidance from God in the quran. It is simple as that.
Some quran translators attempt to interpret 'faman shahida minkumush-shahra' as 'whoever sight the month' is really illogical. How can someone sight the month? Others have translated as 'whoever is present at home in the month' – another irrational statement.
One may question whether the shahru ramadhan (= period of great distress) mentioned in this verse is similar to the 'month of Ramadhan' as per the Persian/Arabic Calendar. The Religionists who created the religion Islam have named a month 'Ramadhan' in their calendar as they did for 'Haj' as well, to confuse and misguide people. As per the Islamic history, the calendar that they call 'Hijri Calendar' was created only after prophet Mohamed's demise. It is clear, all of their inventions were carefully crafted using Quranic words, including the months and days of the Hijri calendar to avoid suspicions of their inventions.
Now, let's review all these verses together to better understand how much it has stressed in the quran about the importance of self-discipline in seeking guidance (= saum) for our own benefit of being righteous.
Quran 2:183
O you who have believed, saum (self-discipline) is prescribed upon you as it was prescribed upon those before you that you may become righteous.
Quran 2:184
A certain number of days. Whoever among you is ill or on a journey (during them), an equal number of other days (to make up). And those who can afford, a redemption (as substitute) of feeding a poor person. And whoever volunteers excess - it is better for him. But to perform saum (= self-discipline) is better for you, if you only knew.
Quran 2:185
The quran was revealed in the period of great distress (= shahru ramadhan), guidance for the mankind. And it contains clear proofs of guidance and criterion. So whoever perceives this period (in their lives), let him perform saum (= self-discipline in seeking guidance); and whoever is ill or on a journey - then an equal number of other days. The god intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship. The postponement is for you to complete the period in ease. And glorify God for that He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful.
Quran 2:186
And when My servants ask you (Mohamed), about Me, indeed I am near. I respond to the call of the caller when they call unto Me. So let them respond to My call (the quran) and believe in Me that they may be led aright.
The above 4 verses clearly state without any ambiguity that the purpose of 'saum' (= self-discipline) is to seek guidance from God. Nowhere does it state that it is a yearly program. Verse 2:185 indicates that whoever perceives this period (in their lifetime), to perform saum, or to make up time later if they are ill or travelling. That is how important it is (see the last part of 2:184).
Then, verse 2:187 states that you are permitted to have regular relationship with your wives during the nights of this exercise. Do not completely avoid them (because of this new research of yours), as they are your confidantes. Therefore, maintain regular relationship with them during night. And indulge yourself in learning (= kuluu washrabuu) until it (the guidance of the quran) is clear as black and white. Then, perform 'saum' (= self-discipline in seeking guidance) till nightfall. And do not frown on them while you are devoting (= a'kifu-na) yourself in the consented decrees (fil-masaaji-di). Those are the limits of God (= hudu-dul-lah).
Let's review the verse.
Quran 2:187
It is made permissible for you on the nights of siyam (= plural of saum) to mingle with your wives. They are your confidantes and you are their confidant. God knows that you would have deprived yourselves, feeling guilty, so He turns towards you and pardons you. So, mingle with them and seek that which God has prescribed for you (in the quran). And indulge in learning (= kuluu washrabuu) until it is clear to you as black and white. Then perform saum (= self-discipline in seeking guidance) until the nightfall. And do not frown upon them while you devote yourself (= a'kifu-na) in the consented decree (= fil-masaaji-di). These are the limits of God (= hudu-dul-lah). So do not violate them. Thus does God makes clear His ordinances to mankind that they may become righteous.
It is important to note that there are no mentions of abstaining from 'food or drink' anywhere in the above verse. The literal meaning of kuluu washrabuu is 'eat and drink'. The figurative meaning is, 'to indulge'. The quran has used the figurative meaning of 'kuluu washrabuu' in many verses. For example, in verse 2:60, when Moses asked for water and God told him to strike the rock with his staff and water gushed forth, Moses said to his people, "kuluu washrabuu" (= indulge yourselves) of God's provisions. And another example of kuluu washrabuu is mentioned at the beginning of this chapter in verse 19:26 with regards to Mary (mother of Jesus), at the time of childbirth to shake the date palm for some ripe dates. The god directs Moses to water and Moses says to his people, kuluu washrabuu (= indulge in satisfying your thirst). The god directs Mary to a date palm and says kuluu washrabuu (= indulge in satisfying your hunger). Similarly, HE directs you to the quran and says kuluu washrabuu (= indulge in satisfying your knowledge, ie: quench your hunger or thirst with the truth in the quran). So, what God states in verse 2:187 is, to indulge in learning until the guidance in the quran become clear to you as black and white. The next part of the verse states to perform saum (= self-discipline in seeking guidance) until evening and not to frown upon your wives (or anybody for that matter) while you are devoting (= a'kifu-na) yourself in the consented decrees (= fil-masaaji-di). There is no mention of abstaining from food and drink here either.
Note: The Quranic meaning of 'masjid' is discussed in detail in the next chapter along with the word 'a'kifu-na'.
As I mentioned earlier, if we take the saum mentioned in this verse in context, it is clear that the main purpose of this saum is not to abstain from food, drink and intimacy as it was made to believe, but to seek guidance from God of the consented decrees in the quran, to become righteous (2:183), as it is better for you (2:184). The quran is a book of guidance, and God has intended ease for you to learn it, to seek guidance (2:185). He advises us to call on Him, as HE awaits our calls and for us to respond to HIS call in the quran (2:186). God has given everyone a chance (believers or not, without prejudice) during a period of their lifetime to connect with Him to be guided. HE says that HE awaits our calls. It is up to each individual to call on Him if they truly seek God's guidance. As per these verses, the god assures that whoever seeks guidance will find it. Isn't it ironic that instead of calling on God for guidance, the Muslims waste their time and efforts yearly, in self-inflicting punishments on them by abstaining from food and water from dawn to dusk for straight 30 days?
"He that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened;" for only by patience, practice, and ceaseless importunity can a man enter the Door of the Temple of Knowledge.
- As A Man Thinketh 1902 (James Allen 1864-1912)
