How we calculate prayer times
Every time on Muslim Timetable is calculated, not copied. The city page, the monthly timetables and the Ramadan pages all come from the same calculation, so they never disagree with each other.
1. Position of the sun
For each city we take its coordinates and the date, work out the sun's position with an astronomical library, and find the moments when the sun reaches the angles that define each prayer: Fajr and Isha by the angle of the sun below the horizon, Dhuhr when the sun crosses the meridian, Asr by the length of an object's shadow, and Maghrib at sunset.
2. The country's calculation method
Scholars and authorities use different Fajr and Isha angles. We follow the method used in each country (for example Muslim World League in much of Europe and Central Asia, University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi in Pakistan, ISNA in North America, Diyanet in Turkey, Umm al-Qura in Saudi Arabia). The method, its angles and the Asr convention are written on every city page. The full list of authorities is on the references page.
3. Asr: standard or Hanafi
Asr starts when an object's shadow equals its length (standard, used by the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools) or twice its length (Hanafi). The Hanafi time is later. Each page uses the usual convention for the country and has a switch to show the other one; the countdown and the highlighted prayer follow your choice.
4. Sehri and iftar
Iftar is at Maghrib (sunset). Sehri ends a fixed number of minutes before Fajr; the number is stated on each page. Ramadan pages use the expected start date and are updated after the moon-sighting announcement — always follow your local authority.
5. High latitudes
In northern cities in summer the sun may never go far enough below the horizon for the Fajr or Isha angle to be reached. For those places we use a high-latitude rule to derive Fajr and Isha, and the city page says so. Mosque timetables in these places can differ by several minutes.
6. Time zones
Clock times use each city's official time zone from the IANA Time Zone Database, including daylight-saving changes, so a time is always shown in the city's own local time.
7. How each timetable is verified
When a timetable is generated, every time in it is recalculated with a second, independent astronomical method. A timetable is only published if every time agrees to within one minute. The date of the check and the number of times checked are shown on each city page.
8. Accuracy
Results may differ by up to ±2 minutes from other timetables that use the same calculation method; mosques that use a different method can differ by more. Mosques also set their own jamaat (congregation) times. If a time looks wrong, use the “Report a wrong time” button at the bottom of any page or the contact page.