Sawm in the context of "Hajj"

⭐ In the context of Hajj, *Sawm* is considered…

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⭐ Core Definition: Sawm

In Islam, fasting (called ṣawm in Arabic: صَوم [sˤɑwm], or ṣiyām صيام [sˤɪˈjæːm]) is the practice of abstaining from food, drink, sexual activity, and anything that substitutes food and drink. During the holy month of Ramadan, fasting is observed between dawn and sunset when the prayer call of the dawn prayer and the sunset prayer is called. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar and fasting is a requirement for able Muslims as it is the fourth of the five pillars of Islam.

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👉 Sawm in the context of Hajj

Hajj (/hɑː/; Arabic: حَجّ, romanizedḤajj; also spelled Hadj or Haj) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and of supporting their family during their absence from home.

In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to the Kaaba, the "House of Allah", in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, alongside Shahadah (oath that one believes there is no god but Allah), salat (prayer), zakat (almsgiving), and sawm (fasting during Ramadan). The Hajj is an annual practice when Muslim brotherhood is on display and their solidarity with fellow Muslim people and submission to God (Allah) is fulfilled. The Hajj is taken by Muslims to cleanse their souls of all worldly sins, which connotes both the outward act of a journey after death and the inward act of good intentions. The rites of pilgrimage are performed over five to six days, extending from the 8th to the 12th or 13th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar. Because the Islamic calendar is lunar and the Islamic year is about eleven-twelve days shorter than the Gregorian year, the Gregorian date of Hajj changes from year to year. In 2024 AD (1445 AH), Dhu al-Hijjah extended from 7 June to 6 July and in 2025 AD (1446 AH), Dhu al-Hijjah was from 28 May to 25 June. In 2026 AD (1447 AH), Dhu al-Hijjah will extend from 18 May to 15 June; and in 2027 AD (1448 AH), Dhu al-Hijjah will extend from 24 May to 22 June.

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Sawm in the context of Islam

Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious population, after Christianity.

Muslims believe that there is a primordial faith that was revealed many times through earlier prophets and messengers, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and they believe that Islam is the universal and complete version of this faith. Muslims consider the Quran to be the verbatim word of God and the unaltered, final revelation. Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previous revelations, such as the Tawrat (the Torah), the Zabur (Psalms), and the Injil (Gospel). They believe that Muhammad is the main and final of God's prophets, through whom the religion was completed. The teachings and normative examples of Muhammad, called the Sunnah, documented in accounts called the hadith, provide a constitutional model for Muslims. Islam is based on the belief in the oneness and uniqueness of God (tawhid), and belief in an afterlife (akhirah) with the Last Judgment—wherein the righteous will be rewarded in paradise (jannah) and the unrighteous will be punished in hell (jahannam). The Five Pillars, considered obligatory acts of worship, are the Islamic oath and creed (shahada), daily prayers (salah), almsgiving (zakat), fasting (sawm) in the month of Ramadan, and a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca. Islamic law, sharia, touches on virtually every aspect of life, from banking and finance and welfare to men's and women's roles and the environment. The two main religious festivals are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The three holiest sites in Islam are Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

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Sawm in the context of Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam (arkān al-Islām أركان الإسلام; also arkān ad-dīn أركان الدين "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, particularly Sunni Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree on the basic details of the performance and practice of these acts, but Shia denominations may have their own lists of pillars that differ from the Sunni five, such as the Twelver Ancillaries of the Faith (consisting of four pillars and six obligatory acts) and the Ismaili Seven Pillars. The five pillars are: profession of faith (Shahada), prayer (Salah), almsgiving (Zakat), fasting in the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).

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Sawm in the context of Suhur

Suhur or Sahur (UK: /səˈhɜːr/; Arabic: سَحُورٌ, romanizedsaḥūr, lit.'of the dawn', 'pre-dawn meal'), also called sahari, sahri, or sehri (Persian: سَحَری, romanizedsahari), is the meal consumed early in the morning by Muslims before fasting (sawm), before dawn during or outside the Islamic month of Ramadan. The meal is eaten before Fajr prayer. Suhur corresponds to iftar, the evening meal during Ramadan, replacing the traditional three meals a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), although in some places dinner is also consumed after iftar later during the night.

Being the last meal eaten by Muslims before fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, suhur is regarded by Islamic traditions as a benefit of the blessings in that it allows the person fasting to avoid the crankiness or the weakness caused by the fast. According to a hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, Anas ibn Malik narrated, "The Prophet said, 'take suhur, as there is a blessing in it.

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Sawm in the context of Kuala Lumpur Tower

The Kuala Lumpur Tower (Malay: Menara Kuala Lumpur; Jawi: منارا کوالا لومڤور‎), colloquially referred to as KL Tower, is a 6-storey, 421-meter-tall (1,381-foot) telecommunication tower in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is the world's seventh-tallest tower. It features an antenna which increases its height to 421 metres (1,381 ft). The roof of the pod is at 335 metres (1,099 ft). The rest of the tower below has a stairwell and an elevator to reach the upper area, which also contains a revolving restaurant, providing diners with a panoramic view of the city.

Races are held annually, where participants race up the stairs to the top. The tower also acts as the Islamic falak observatory to observe the crescent moon which marks the beginning of Muslim month of Ramadhan, Syawal, and Zulhijjah, to celebrate fasting month of Ramadhan, Hari Raya Aidilfitri and Aidiladha. The tower is the highest viewpoint in Kuala Lumpur that is open to the public.

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Sawm in the context of Khomeinism

Khomeinism, also transliterated Khumaynism, refers to the religious and political ideas and practices connected with the leader of the 1979 Iranian Islamic Revolution – Ruhollah Khomeini. While primarily referring to the ideas and practices of Khomeini himself, Khomeinism may also refer to the ideology of the clerical class which has ruled the Islamic Republic of Iran founded by Khomeini, following his death, and to the "radicalization" of segments of the Twelver Shia populations of Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon, and to the Iranian government's "recruitment" of Shia minorities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Africa. The words Khomeinist and Khomeinists, derived from Khomeinism, can also be used to describe members of Iran's clerical rulers as opposed to "regular" (non-Wilayat ul-Faqih supporting) Shia Muslim clerics.

Under Khomeini's leadership, Iran replaced its millennia-old monarchy with a theocratic republic. Khomeini brought about a major paradigm shift in Shia Islam. He declared that Islamic jurists (clerics specializing in Islamic jurisprudence) are the true holders of religious and political authority, who must be obeyed as "an expression of obedience to God", and whose rule has "precedence over all secondary ordinances in Islam such as prayer, fasting, and pilgrimage". Khomeini's doctrines would make a major influence on the landscape of Shia Islam; which had upheld political quietism for over a thousand years. Another significant revision of tradition was on Mahdism, the messianic belief in the reappearance of their Twelfth Imam and the proper way to wait for Him. Traditional Twelver theologians urged believers to wait patiently for his return, but Khomeini and his followers called upon Shia Muslims to actively pave the way for Mahdi's global Islamic rule.

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