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Prayer Time Calculation Methods

Quick answer

Prayer times come from the sun’s angle below the horizon. Organisations disagree slightly on the twilight angle for Fajr and Isha, which is why "calculation methods" exist. The five daily times themselves — Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha — are the same everywhere; only the exact minutes shift by method and location.

Below are the common methods. Each city on this site shows which method its times use.

Muslim World League (MWL)

Fajr 18°, Isha 17°. A widely used worldwide standard.

Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

Fajr 15°, Isha 15°. Common in the United States and Canada.

Umm al-Qura University, Makkah

Fajr 18.5°; Isha is a fixed 90 minutes after Maghrib. Used across Saudi Arabia.

University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi

Fajr 18°, Isha 18°. Common in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh.

Egyptian General Authority

Fajr 19.5°, Isha 17.5°.

Gulf Region

Fajr 19.5°; Isha a fixed 90 minutes after Maghrib.

Diyanet (Turkey)

The method used by Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs.

Asr: Standard vs Hanafi

Most methods calculate Asr when an object’s shadow equals its own length (the Shafi‘i, Maliki and Hanbali view). The Hanafi school uses twice the object’s length, so Asr falls later. Where a city’s community follows the Hanafi position, its Asr time will differ accordingly.

The five prayers

  • Fajr — from dawn until sunrise.
  • Dhuhr — after the sun passes its zenith (midday).
  • Asr — afternoon (see above).
  • Maghrib — just after sunset.
  • Isha — night, after twilight disappears.

Glossary of prayer & namaz terms

The key terms used in prayer timetables and calculation methods.

Salah (Salat) - The formal Islamic ritual prayer performed five times a day; called namaz in Urdu, Persian and Turkish.
Namaz - The Urdu, Persian and Turkish word for salah - the five daily prayers.
Fajr - The pre-dawn prayer, first of the five, prayed from true dawn until sunrise.
Sunrise (Shuruq) - The moment the sun rises, marking the end of the Fajr window. It is not a prayer.
Dhuhr - The midday prayer, offered after the sun passes its highest point (zenith).
Asr - The afternoon prayer; its start depends on shadow length and differs between the standard and Hanafi schools.
Maghrib - The prayer just after sunset; also the time of iftar during Ramadan.
Isha - The night prayer, offered once the evening twilight has faded.
Witr - An odd-numbered prayer offered after Isha.
Tahajjud - A voluntary night prayer, most virtuous in the last third of the night.
Jumu'ah - The Friday congregational prayer that replaces Dhuhr for those who attend.
Adhan (Azan) - The Islamic call to prayer, announced at the start of each of the five times.
Iqamah - The second, shorter call given immediately before the congregation prays.
Qibla - The direction of the Kaaba in Mecca that Muslims face during prayer.
Rak'ah - A single unit or cycle of prayer, made up of standing, bowing and prostration.
Wudu - The ritual ablution (washing) performed before prayer.
Suhoor (Sehri) - The pre-dawn meal eaten before the Ramadan fast; it ends at Fajr.
Iftar - The meal that breaks the Ramadan fast, eaten at Maghrib.
Qada - A missed obligatory prayer that is made up later.
The complete guide to prayer times

Understand how these methods, the five prayers, the Qibla and Ramadan fit together.

Complete prayer-times guideQibla finderRamadan timetablePrayer times by city