Muslim Prayer Times: How Salah Times Are Calculated
What Are the Five Daily Prayers?
Muslims pray five times a day, and each prayer has a window of time defined by the position of the sun. The five prayers are:
- Fajr — the dawn prayer, performed before sunrise, when the first light appears on the horizon.
- Dhuhr — the midday prayer, performed after the sun passes its highest point.
- Asr — the afternoon prayer, when shadows lengthen.
- Maghrib — the sunset prayer, performed just after the sun dips below the horizon.
- Isha — the night prayer, performed after twilight has fully disappeared.
Because these times are tied to the sun, they shift every day and differ from city to city. A prayer times calculator converts your location and the date into the exact window for each prayer.
How Prayer Times Are Calculated
Prayer time calculation is applied astronomy. Each prayer begins at a specific solar event:
- Dhuhr begins when the sun crosses the meridian (its highest point) and starts to decline.
- Asr begins when the shadow of an object equals a certain multiple of the object's length — one times its length plus the noon shadow in the Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, or two times its length in the Hanafi school.
- Maghrib begins at sunset, when the upper edge of the sun disappears.
- Fajr and Isha are defined by twilight angles: Fajr begins at a certain angle of the sun below the horizon before sunrise (dawn), and Isha begins when the sun reaches a certain angle below the horizon after sunset (nightfall).
The tricky part is that there is no single agreed angle for dawn and dusk. Different scholarly bodies and regions adopted slightly different angles, which is why you will see different prayer times from different sources.
Common Calculation Methods
The main calculation methods differ in the Fajr and Isha angles they use:
- ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) — 15 degrees for Fajr, 15 for Isha. Widely used in North America.
- Muslim World League (MWL) — 18 degrees for Fajr, 17 for Isha. Common in Europe and parts of Asia.
- Diyanet (Turkey) — 18 degrees for Fajr, 17 for Isha. Used across Turkey.
- Egyptian General Authority of Survey — 19.5 degrees for Fajr, 17.5 for Isha.
- University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi — 18 degrees for Fajr, 18 for Isha. Common in South Asia.
- Umm al-Qura (Makkah) — 18.5 degrees for Fajr, with Isha set at 90 minutes after Maghrib.
A larger angle means Fajr starts earlier and Isha starts later. The difference between methods is usually only a few minutes, but it matters if you follow a particular school or live in a region with an official standard.
Why Prayer Times Differ by Location
Even with the same method, salah times change with geography:
- Latitude and longitude shift sunrise, sunset, and twilight directly. Two cities in the same country can differ by 20 minutes or more.
- High latitudes (northern Canada, Scandinavia) create extreme cases: in summer the sun may barely set, and in winter barely rise. Special rules are applied in these regions.
- Daylight saving time shifts clock times by an hour twice a year.
- Elevation slightly changes the apparent sunrise and sunset.
This is why a generic printed timetable goes stale, while a calculator using your GPS position stays accurate.
How to Get Accurate Prayer Times
- Use a trusted prayer times calculator that lets you choose the calculation method.
- Pick the method used in your region — ISNA in North America, MWL in much of Europe, Diyanet in Turkey, and so on. When in doubt, ask your local mosque which method they follow.
- Enable location access so times are computed for exactly where you are, especially when traveling.
- Double-check against your local mosque during Ramadan or for Jumu'ah, since mosques sometimes adjust by a few minutes.
DailyDeenHub computes prayer times offline on your device using your location and your choice of calculation method, so your salah times stay accurate wherever you are.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Fajr time differ between apps?
Different apps use different calculation methods. One may use ISNA (15 degrees) while another uses the Muslim World League (18 degrees). Check which method each app uses and match it to your region's standard.
What is the difference between ISNA and Diyanet prayer times?
ISNA uses 15-degree twilight angles for both Fajr and Isha, while Diyanet uses 18 degrees for Fajr and 17 for Isha. Diyanet's Fajr will be a few minutes earlier and its Isha a few minutes later than ISNA's.
Do prayer times change every day?
Yes. Because they follow the sun, prayer times shift slightly each day — most noticeably around the equinoxes — and the pattern reverses with the seasons.
Which calculation method should I use?
Use the method followed by the Muslim community where you live. In North America that is usually ISNA, in Turkey it is Diyanet, and in much of Europe it is the Muslim World League. Your local mosque is the best reference.