How Prayer Times Are Calculated: The Astronomy Behind Fajr to Isha
A plain-language explanation of how the five daily prayer times are worked out from the sun's position, and why they change through the year and from city to city.
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Clear explanations of the astronomy and rulings behind the five daily prayer times.
Prayer Time Calculation Methods Compared: MWL, ISNA, Karachi
Why different apps show different Fajr and Isha times: the angles used by the main calculation methods, how big the difference is, and how to choose one.
Read the guide →Hanafi vs Shafi'i Asr Time: Why Asr Starts Later for Some
The two shadow-length rules for the start of Asr, how much later Hanafi Asr begins, and how to pick the right one on a prayer timetable.
Read the guide →Prayer Times at High Latitudes: What to Do When Twilight Never Ends
How Muslims in northern Europe and other high-latitude places work out Fajr and Isha when the sun barely sets: the main approaches and the reasoning behind them.
Read the guide →How to Find the Qibla Direction: Compass, Shadow and Phone Methods
Practical ways to find the direction of the Kaaba from anywhere: the great-circle bearing, a phone compass, and the twice-a-year shadow method.
Read the guide →The Five Daily Prayers: Names, Times and Number of Rak'ahs
A clear overview of Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha: when each prayer begins and ends, how many obligatory rak'ahs each has, plus Jumu'ah and Witr.
Read the guide →The Hijri Calendar Explained: Months, Moon Sighting and Umm al-Qura
How the Islamic lunar calendar works, why Ramadan moves through the seasons, the twelve months, and why the start of a month can differ by a day between countries.
Read the guide →Ramadan Timings: Suhoor, Iftar, Imsak and Prayer Times
How the fasting day in Ramadan is tied to Fajr and Maghrib, what Imsak means, and how to use a prayer timetable to plan suhoor and iftar.
Read the guide →Why Prayer Times Differ Between Apps and Your Local Mosque
The real reasons two prayer timetables disagree by a few minutes, from calculation methods and iqamah times to daylight saving and rounding.
Read the guide →Praying While Traveling: Shortening (Qasr) and Combining (Jam') Prayers
An introduction to the travel concessions in prayer: shortening four-rak'ah prayers, combining prayers, the distance question and how schools differ.
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