Which prayer time calculation method should I use?
It depends where you live, but the best choice is the method your local mosque uses. Methods such as the Muslim World League (MWL), ISNA and Umm al-Qura are all reasonable. They mainly differ in how far below the horizon the sun must be for Fajr and Isha. If your mosque publishes a timetable, match your app to it.
What the methods actually differ on
Prayer times follow the sun. Noon, sunrise and sunset are almost the same in every method. The differences are in Fajr and Isha, where each method uses a different angle of the sun below the horizon. A larger angle gives an earlier Fajr and a later Isha:
- Muslim World League (MWL): Fajr at 18 degrees and Isha at 17 degrees. It is often the default in apps.
- ISNA: 15 degrees for both. It is common in North America.
- Umm al-Qura (Makkah): Fajr at 18.5 degrees, and Isha 90 minutes after Maghrib, or 120 in Ramadan.
The result can be a gap of 10 to 30 minutes at Fajr and Isha. All of these methods are attempts to follow the same rule:
How to choose in the West
- Check your local mosque. Most publish a monthly timetable based on an agreed method. Pick the same method in your app.
- Compare for a week. If the app matches the timetable, you are set.
- No mosque nearby? In North America, ISNA is a common choice. In Europe, use the method of the nearest mosque or the MWL, and ask a local scholar if you can.
- Set Asr. Choose the standard setting, or the Hanafi setting if you follow that school, since Hanafis start Asr later.
- Set the high-latitude rule if you live far north, such as in Scotland or Scandinavia. Use the same rule as your local community.
For summer in the far north, see What if Isha time never comes in summer?
Which Fajr should I follow?
The Prophet ﷺ taught that Jibril led him in Fajr when dawn began, at the time when food and drink become forbidden to a fasting person (Sunan Abi Dawud 393). Scholars agree that Fajr starts at true dawn, but they disagree on how many degrees that is. In northern countries, some communities say 18 degrees is too early and use a smaller angle. This is a real scholarly debate, so follow your local mosque instead of switching around. Until you are sure, pray Fajr a few minutes after the time shown and don't leave Isha to the end.
Keep it simple
Choose one method and stick with it. Switching between methods to find the earliest or latest time only makes things confusing. For general advice on how far to trust an app, see Can I trust prayer time apps? If you are traveling, see How do I find prayer times in a new city?
- Methods differ mainly on the Fajr and Isha angles.
- MWL is 18 and 17 degrees, ISNA 15 and 15, Umm al-Qura 18.5 and 90 minutes.
- Match your app to your local mosque's timetable.
- Set Asr and the high-latitude rule too, then stay consistent.
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