Understand
Prayer time calculation methods
Why two apps, or two mosques, do not always show the same Fajr or Isha.
What does not depend on the method
Dhuhr (after solar noon) and Maghrib (sunset) are unambiguously defined by the sun's position: all methods give the same times, give or take a minute or two depending on the margins added.
Fajr and Isha: a matter of angle
Dawn and the end of twilight are gradual. To calculate them, an angle of the sun below the horizon is chosen. The larger the angle, the earlier Fajr and the later Isha. Depending on the country, 12° to 20° is used: the difference can exceed an hour for Fajr in summer.
| Method | Angles | Fajr | Dhuhr | Maghrib | Isha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim World League | Fajr 18° · Isha 17° | 05:02 | 11:45 | 16:32 | 18:19 |
| Muslims of France (12°) | Fajr 12° · Isha 12° | 05:41 | 11:44 | 16:32 | 17:47 |
| ISNA (North America) | Fajr 15° · Isha 15° | 05:21 | 11:45 | 16:32 | 18:06 |
| Egyptian General Authority | Fajr 19,5° · Isha 17,5° | 04:52 | 11:45 | 16:32 | 18:22 |
| Diyanet (Turkey) | Fajr 18° · Isha 17° | 05:02 | 11:49 | 16:39 | 18:19 |
| University of Karachi | Fajr 18° · Isha 18° | 05:02 | 11:45 | 16:32 | 18:25 |
| Moonsighting Committee | Fajr 18° · Isha 18° | 05:19 | 11:49 | 16:35 | 17:59 |
| Umm al-Qura (Makkah) | Fajr 18,5° · Isha 90 min after Maghrib | 04:59 | 11:44 | 16:32 | 18:02 |
| Dubai | Fajr 18,2° · Isha 18,2° | 05:01 | 11:47 | 16:35 | 18:26 |
| Qatar | Fajr 18° · Isha 90 min after Maghrib | 05:02 | 11:44 | 16:32 | 18:02 |
| Kuwait | Fajr 18° · Isha 17,5° | 05:02 | 11:44 | 16:32 | 18:22 |
| Singapore / South-East Asia | Fajr 20° · Isha 18° | 04:53 | 11:46 | 16:32 | 18:26 |
| Institute of Geophysics, Tehran | Fajr 17,7° · Isha 14° | 05:04 | 11:44 | 16:57 | 17:59 |
| Morocco (Habous) | Fajr 19° · Isha 17° | 04:56 | 11:44 | 16:32 | 18:19 |
Asr: one or two shadow lengths
According to the majority view (Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools), Asr begins when an object's shadow equals its height, plus the noon shadow. According to the Hanafi school, it must be twice the height. Today in London: standard Asr at 14:03, Hanafi Asr at 14:42.
High latitudes
Above about 48° latitude, the sun sometimes does not go far enough below the horizon in summer to reach the chosen angle. Fallback rules (middle of the night, seventh of the night) then cap Fajr and Isha. Beyond the polar circle, the site uses the nearest day on which the sun rises and sets.
Mosque margins
Mosques often add a few precautionary minutes and display an iqama time separate from the start of the prayer time. That is why each prayer can be adjusted to the minute in the settings.
Our default method
By default, the site picks the most widely used method in the city's country (Umm al-Qura in Saudi Arabia, ISNA in North America, Diyanet in Turkey, Muslim World League otherwise…). This is not a religious stance: you can change it at any time.