Sawm is the fast of Ramadan, the fourth Pillar of Islam, commanded in the Quran for the lunar month in which the tradition holds the Quran was first revealed. From the first light of dawn until sunset, adult Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and marital relations; the fast is broken each evening (iftar), traditionally with dates and water, and a pre-dawn meal (suhur) precedes the day. The sick, the travelling, the pregnant, the nursing and the menstruating are exempted, making up the days later or, where they cannot, feeding the poor instead.
The fast is not understood primarily as deprivation but as a discipline of taqwa, God-consciousness, and it is paired with intensified prayer, night prayers called tarawih, Quran recitation, and charity. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar, Ramadan migrates through the solar year, so the length of the fasting day varies enormously with latitude and season, a fact that has generated real juristic discussion for Muslims living near the poles. The month closes with the festival of Eid al-Fitr.