Why do people fast in sawm?

Sawm (or fasting) has the following benefits that:

* Showing obedience to ALLAH (God) and tendency to be closer to Allah (God in English) mercy and forgiveness.

* Gaining spiritual self purification and full submission to ALLAH (God).

* Gaining motivation not to approach what is prohibited to be done by religion. If you are used, during fasting, to forbid yourself from eating food, drinking, doing sex with your partner of marriage (things that are allowed out of fasting) then you will be used to forbid yourself from doing what is prohibited to be done as drinking Alcohol, gambling, prostitution, cheating, etc...