Prayer Times
Daily prayer times for any city, using the calculation method you choose in the theme settings.
How prayer times are actually worked out
All five daily prayers follow the sun rather than the clock, so their times shift a little every single day and differ between cities that otherwise share the same time zone. Fajr begins at dawn, dhuhr just after the sun crosses its highest point, asr once a shadow reaches a defined length, maghrib at sunset, and isha once the evening light has fully gone.
Calculation methods, and why there are several
Fajr and isha both depend on precisely how far below the horizon the sun sits, and different authorities set that angle differently. Ten separate methods are available here, including Karachi, the Muslim World League, ISNA, Umm al-Qura and Tehran — the site-wide default is set in the theme settings.
Asr specifically has two established rulings. The standard calculation, followed by the Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools, uses a shadow length equal to the object’s own height plus whatever shadow it already cast at noon. The Hanafi calculation doubles that figure, which pushes asr noticeably later into the afternoon.
Why asr in particular can look early or late
Asr is the prayer time most likely to look wrong on a printed timetable, precisely because it’s defined by shadow length rather than by a fixed angle below the horizon. As the sun drops through the afternoon, every object casts a lengthening shadow, and asr begins the moment that shadow reaches the object’s own height, added to whatever it already cast at noon.
That noon shadow is why latitude and season matter so much here. The sun reaches very different midday altitudes in different places and at different times of year, so the point at which the required shadow ratio is reached can move substantially through the afternoon.
The Hanafi ruling waits until the shadow reaches twice the object’s own height, which usually places asr somewhere between forty-five minutes and an hour and a half later than the standard calculation. Both rulings are offered as options in the theme settings — neither one corrects the other; they’re simply two different established schools.
Questions people ask
How are the five daily prayer times actually calculated?
From the sun’s real position at your specific coordinates — dhuhr follows solar noon directly, maghrib follows sunset, and both fajr and isha depend on precisely how far below the horizon the sun currently sits.
Which calculation method should I personally use?
Whichever one your own local mosque already uses. Karachi is common across South Asia, Umm al-Qura in Saudi Arabia, ISNA in North America, and the Muslim World League across much of Europe.
What’s the actual difference between standard and Hanafi asr?
Standard asr begins once an object’s shadow equals its own height plus its noon shadow. The Hanafi calculation doubles that figure, which places asr noticeably later in the afternoon.
Why does asr sometimes look unusually early or late compared to what I expect?
Because it’s set by shadow length rather than a fixed sun angle, and the noon shadow itself varies considerably with latitude and season — near the equator asr falls about three and a half hours after dhuhr; in a northern winter it arrives much sooner.
What actually happens to prayer times at very high latitudes in summer?
Above roughly 48 degrees, the sun may not dip far enough below the horizon for a genuine dawn or nightfall to occur. The calculation then falls back to dividing the night into sevenths — though local rulings vary, and should generally take precedence.