Quick Answer
Islamic prayer times, Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha, are calculated based on the sun's position relative to your exact geographic coordinates, using standardized astronomical formulas adopted by Islamic calculation authorities.
What Is Prayer Times?
The five daily prayers in Islam are tied to specific positions of the sun rather than fixed clock times, which means exact prayer times shift slightly every day and vary by location. Fajr begins at the first sign of dawn light, Dhuhr begins once the sun passes its zenith (highest point), Asr begins when the sun reaches a specific angle in the afternoon, Maghrib begins at sunset, and Isha begins once twilight fully ends.
Because these timings depend on the sun's angle, they must be calculated using your precise latitude, longitude, and the date, this is why prayer times differ city to city, and why a calculation made for one location cannot simply be reused for another, even a relatively short distance away.
Different Islamic authorities (such as ISNA in North America, the Muslim World League, and Umm al-Qura University in Makkah) use slightly different angle conventions for calculating Fajr and Isha specifically, which is why you may notice small differences between prayer time apps depending on which calculation method they use.
How to Use
- 1Allow location access, or manually enter your city, so the calculator knows your exact coordinates.
- 2The calculator automatically detects today's date and computes all five prayer times for your location.
- 3View the countdown to the next prayer time, updated live.
- 4Times update automatically each day as the sun's position shifts with the seasons.
Formula
Based on solar angle formulas using latitude, longitude, date, and a chosen calculation convention (e.g. ISNA)Not a simple arithmetic formula, uses spherical trigonometry on the sun's declination angle
Example: How Asr time differs by calculation method
- Standard (Shafi'i) method: Asr begins when shadow length equals object height plus the shadow length at solar noon
- Hanafi method: Asr begins when shadow length equals twice the object height plus the noon shadow
- This means Hanafi Asr time is always later than standard Asr time for the same location and date
Tips & Things to Know
- If your device's location services are off, prayer times calculated by city name alone may be slightly less precise than GPS-based coordinates, enable location for best accuracy.
- Prayer times shift gradually with the seasons because the sun's path across the sky changes, don't assume yesterday's times apply unchanged to today.
- If you travel to a different city or country, recalculate prayer times for your new location rather than using times from home.
- During Ramadan, many people pay particular attention to the exact Fajr (for Suhoor cutoff) and Maghrib (for Iftar) times, double-check your local mosque's published times if there's any doubt, as local convention can vary slightly.