Home › Qur’an › Word counts › Fasting

How many times is Fasting (Sawm) mentioned in the Qur’an?

10

Fasting (Sawm) is mentioned 10 times in the Qur’an, in 8 verses across 5 surahs.

Counts the nouns ṣiyām and ṣawm.

Times
10
Verses
8
Surahs
5
First
2:183

What was counted

WordTimesTranslated asRoot
صِيام9fasting, fast, [the] fastingص و م
صَوْم1fastص و م

Most mentions: Al-Baqarah (5), Al-Ma'idah (2), An-Nisa (1), Maryam (1), Al-Mujadila (1).

Every mention

  • 2:183 · Al-Baqarahٱلصِّيَامُ [the] fastingO you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous -
  • 2:187 · Al-Baqarahٱلصِّيَامِ (of) fastingIt has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous.
  • 2:187 · Al-Baqarahٱلصِّيَامَ the fastIt has been made permissible for you the night preceding fasting to go to your wives [for sexual relations]. They are clothing for you and you are clothing for them. Allah knows that you used to deceive yourselves, so He accepted your repentance and forgave you. So now, have relations with them and seek that which Allah has decreed for you. And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread [of night]. Then complete the fast until the sunset. And do not have relations with them as long as you are staying for worship in the mosques. These are the limits [set by] Allah, so do not approach them. Thus does Allah make clear His ordinances to the people that they may become righteous.
  • 2:196 · Al-Baqarahصِيَامٍ fastingAnd complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter. And whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head [making shaving necessary must offer] a ransom of fasting [three days] or charity or sacrifice. And when you are secure, then whoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. This is for those whose family is not in the area of al-Masjid al-Haram. And fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.
  • 2:196 · Al-Baqarahفَصِيَامُ then a fastAnd complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter. And whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head [making shaving necessary must offer] a ransom of fasting [three days] or charity or sacrifice. And when you are secure, then whoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. This is for those whose family is not in the area of al-Masjid al-Haram. And fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.
  • 4:92 · An-Nisaفَصِيَامُ then fastingAnd never is it for a believer to kill a believer except by mistake. And whoever kills a believer by mistake - then the freeing of a believing slave and a compensation payment presented to the deceased's family [is required] unless they give [up their right as] charity. But if the deceased was from a people at war with you and he was a believer - then [only] the freeing of a believing slave; and if he was from a people with whom you have a treaty - then a compensation payment presented to his family and the freeing of a believing slave. And whoever does not find [one or cannot afford to buy one] - then [instead], a fast for two months consecutively, [seeking] acceptance of repentance from Allah. And Allah is ever Knowing and Wise.
  • 5:89 · Al-Ma'idahفَصِيَامُ (that), then fastingAllah will not impose blame upon you for what is meaningless in your oaths, but He will impose blame upon you for [breaking] what you intended of oaths. So its expiation is the feeding of ten needy people from the average of that which you feed your [own] families or clothing them or the freeing of a slave. But whoever cannot find [or afford it] - then a fast of three days [is required]. That is the expiation for oaths when you have sworn. But guard your oaths. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be grateful.
  • 5:95 · Al-Ma'idahصِيَامًۭا (in) fastingO you who have believed, do not kill game while you are in the state of ihram. And whoever of you kills it intentionally - the penalty is an equivalent from sacrificial animals to what he killed, as judged by two just men among you as an offering [to Allah] delivered to the Ka'bah, or an expiation: the feeding of needy people or the equivalent of that in fasting, that he may taste the consequence of his deed. Allah has pardoned what is past; but whoever returns [to violation], then Allah will take retribution from him. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Owner of Retribution.
  • 19:26 · Maryamصَوْمًۭا a fastSo eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, 'Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to [any] man.' "
  • 58:4 · Al-Mujadilaفَصِيَامُ then fastingAnd he who does not find [a slave] - then a fast for two months consecutively before they touch one another; and he who is unable - then the feeding of sixty poor persons. That is for you to believe [completely] in Allah and His Messenger; and those are the limits [set by] Allah. And for the disbelievers is a painful punishment.

How we count

Each Qur’an word built on the words above counts once, in any form (singular, dual or plural, with or without prefixes such as wa- or al-). Counts published elsewhere often differ because they count different forms or phrases. Root and lemma data: Quranic Arabic Corpus (Kais Dukes, University of Leeds), revised by quran-morphology, GNU GPL. All sources. Verse translation: Saheeh International.

Keep exploring

Read the Qur’an word by word

Niyat shows the meaning of every word as you read.

Get Niyat