How prayer times are calculated

The four calculation methods

Dhuhr, sunrise and Maghrib come straight from the sun's position. Fajr and Isha depend on how far below the horizon the sun must be for dawn to begin or night to fall, and scholars and organisations use different angles. We show every method side by side and state which one each time uses.

Method	Fajr angle	Isha	Notes
Moonsighting Committee	18°	18°	Seasonal adjustment for higher latitudes; used by default for UK pages
Muslim World League	18°	17°	Widely used in Europe
ISNA (North America)	15°	15°	Used by default for US pages
Umm al-Qura	18.5°	90 minutes after Maghrib (120 in Ramadan)	The calendar of Saudi Arabia

Asr: standard and Hanafi

Under the standard rule (Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools), Asr begins when an object's shadow equals its own length plus its shadow at noon. Under the Hanafi rule it begins when the shadow is twice the object's length. The Hanafi time is later, often by 45 to 90 minutes in the UK. Every city page shows both.

High-latitude rules

In northern Britain the sun may not sink far enough below the horizon in summer for true dawn or nightfall to occur. A high-latitude rule sets a practical time instead. The twilight-angle rule divides the night in proportion to the Fajr and Isha angles. The Seventh of the Night rule places Fajr no earlier than one-seventh of the night before sunrise, and Isha no later than one-seventh after sunset. We use the Seventh of the Night rule for Scotland and Northern Ireland from April to September, and the twilight-angle rule everywhere else.

Mosque timetables

These are the times when each prayer's window opens. Mosques publish their own jamaat (iqamah) times, and many add a few minutes of caution to Fajr in Ramadan. If your mosque's times differ, follow your mosque. Report a time you think is wrong.