The Practice of Fasting (Sawm) in the Modern World

The fiqhi rules and regulations governing the practice of fasting (sawm), observed by adherents of the Muslim faith, are derived from textual sources – the Qur’an and Hadith – by traditional usul al-fiqh methodology.  These regulations remained largely unchanged and unquestioned whilst Muslim peoples lived in similar geopolitical contexts to those prevalent in the formative years of Muslim history.

However, Muslims now reside in a diverse range of locations with very different contexts. This has increasingly resulted in these rules being questioned due to conflicts in the Muslim psyche regarding their applicability and relevance. New fiqhi questions relating to the practice of fasting have now arisen with a resultant need for scholarship to either offer contemporary justifications for traditional stances, or offer theoretically consistent alternatives. This workshop facilitated scholarship directly addressing the contemporary fiqhi issues facing the practice of fasting in the modern world.