Prayer times are not arbitrary — they follow the precise position of the sun relative to your geographic location. Unlike a clock that runs on human convention, each of the five daily prayers corresponds to a specific astronomical event that shifts every single day of the year. This guide explains exactly how each prayer time is determined, why there are different calculation methods, and how to get the most accurate times for your city.
The Five Prayers and Their Solar Basis
- Fajr (الفجر) — Dawn Prayer: Begins at "true dawn" — when the sun is between 15° and 18.5° below the horizon, depending on the calculation method. This is the moment the first light appears at the edge of the horizon, before sunrise. Ends at sunrise.
- Dhuhr (الظهر) — Midday Prayer: Begins just after solar noon — when the sun passes its highest point in the sky (zenith). Can be calculated precisely from your longitude and the equation of time. Ends at Asr.
- Asr (العصر) — Afternoon Prayer: Determined by shadow length. In the Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, Asr begins when an object's shadow equals its own length (plus the shadow at noon). In the Hanafi school, it begins when the shadow reaches twice the object's length. This produces an Asr time roughly 1 hour later for Hanafi followers.
- Maghrib (المغرب) — Sunset Prayer: Begins at sunset — when the upper limb of the sun disappears below the horizon. This is the most precisely defined prayer, as sunset is an exact astronomical event with no disagreement between schools.
- Isha (العشاء) — Night Prayer: Begins when "astronomical twilight" ends — when the sun is 15°–18° below the horizon and the sky is fully dark. Ends at midnight (Islamic midnight = halfway between Maghrib and Fajr).
Why Times Change Every Day
The Earth orbits the sun on a tilted axis (23.5°), so the sun's position in the sky changes throughout the year. In summer at higher latitudes, the sun rises very early and sets very late — meaning Fajr is in the early hours of the morning and Isha is late at night. In winter, the reverse occurs. Near the equator, prayer times are relatively stable year-round because the sun's path changes less between seasons.
At extreme latitudes (above ~48°N or below ~48°S), the sun never reaches the required angle below the horizon during summer nights, making Fajr and Isha theoretically undefined. Islamic scholars have resolved this with methods like using the nearest "normal latitude" country, fixed angles, or 1/7th of the night.
The Five Calculation Methods
The disagreement between methods is primarily about the angle the sun must be below the horizon for Fajr and Isha:
- Umm Al-Qura (Saudi Arabia): Fajr at 18.5°; Isha fixed at 90 minutes after Maghrib (or 120 min during Ramadan). Official standard for Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman.
- Muslim World League: Fajr at 18°, Isha at 17°. General international standard, used across Europe and many African countries.
- ISNA (North America): Fajr at 15°, Isha at 15°. Produces later Fajr and earlier Isha than MWL — reduces extreme times at high latitudes.
- Egyptian General Authority: Fajr at 19.5°, Isha at 17.5°. Official standard for Egypt and several Arab countries.
- University of Karachi: Fajr at 18°, Isha at 18°. Common in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of South Asia.
The practical difference between methods can be 10–20 minutes for Fajr and Isha. Always match the method to your local mosque or national Islamic authority for consistency.
The Asr Difference: Shafi vs Hanafi
The Asr timing difference between schools is significant in practice. On a summer day in London, Shafi Asr might be at 5:15 PM while Hanafi Asr is at 7:00 PM — nearly two hours later. Most prayer time apps default to the Shafi calculation. If you follow the Hanafi madhab, check whether your app includes this option.
Using Prayer Notifications Effectively
Our Prayer Times tool includes browser notifications that alert you 5 minutes before each prayer. To use them:
- Open Prayer Times and allow your browser to detect your location (or select a city).
- Click the Notify Me bell button.
- Grant notification permission when prompted.
- Keep the browser tab open — notifications fire when the tab is in the background.
For persistent notifications that work without keeping a browser open, a dedicated app like Muslim Pro or Athan Pro is better suited. Browser notifications are ideal for desktop users who are already working in the browser.
The Hijri Calendar
The Hijri calendar is a lunar calendar — each month begins with the sighting of the crescent moon. Because 12 lunar months total about 354 days, the Hijri year is 11 days shorter than the Gregorian year. This means Islamic events like Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and Eid al-Adha shift earlier by about 11 days each year and cycle through all seasons over 33 years.
Check accurate prayer times for your city:
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