What is the difference between Shafi'i and Hanafi for Asr?

Shafi'i / Maliki / Hanbali (the 'standard' madhab in this calculator) hold that Asr begins when the shadow of an object equals the object's length. The Hanafi school holds that Asr begins later — when the shadow equals twice the object's length. The difference is typically 30–60 minutes. Other prayer times are not affected by madhab.

Imsak is the time during Ramadan by which the pre-dawn meal (Sehri/Suhoor) should be finished. It is typically set 10–15 minutes before Fajr as a precaution to ensure no eating happens after Fajr begins. Many scholars say Imsak is not a separate religious time and Fajr is the actual cutoff.

Can I use this for Ramadan Sehri and Iftar?

Yes. Sehri ends at Imsak (or Fajr, depending on your scholar), and Iftar starts at Maghrib. Both are shown in the auxiliary times section. Always cross-check with your local mosque or Hilal committee for the official Ramadan schedule.

Why does my country show times for a specific city?

Prayer times depend on latitude, longitude, and time zone. The calculator uses your country's representative coordinates (typically the capital or geographic centre). For very large countries — like the US, Russia, or Australia — you may want to add a few minutes if you are far west of the centre, or subtract if east.

Do prayer times change every day?

Yes, slightly. They shift by a minute or two each day as the sun's position relative to your latitude changes. The biggest swings happen near the equinoxes; the most stable periods are around the solstices.

Why is Isha so late in summer in northern countries?

Because true night (when the sun is 17–18° below the horizon) doesn't happen at all in high latitudes during summer. Methods like ISNA, MWL, and Karachi handle this with 'angle-based methods' or fixed offsets after Maghrib. Choose a method appropriate for your latitude — for example, MWL or Diyanet handle European summers gracefully.

Salah Times Calculator

Date & Time

Daily prayer times (Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha) for your country with countdown to next prayer.

Date & Time

Salah Times Calculator

Generated on April 25, 2026

Calculation Method

Europe, Far East, parts of US

Madhab (for Asr)

Asr starts when shadow length = object length.

Loading prayer times…

?What is the Salah Times Calculator?

The Salah Times Calculator shows the five daily prayer times — Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha — calculated for the city of your selected country, plus auxiliary times like Sunrise, Sunset, Imsak (Sehri end), and Midnight. Times come from the Aladhan prayer-times API and are computed using the calculation methodology that is standard in your region (Karachi for Pakistan/India, ISNA for North America, Umm al-Qura for Saudi Arabia, Diyanet for Turkey, and others). The next prayer is highlighted with a live countdown that updates every minute, and a 24-hour timeline shows where the day's prayers fall relative to the current moment. Your calculation method and madhab (Shafi'i for the standard Asr ruling, Hanafi for the later Asr) are remembered between visits.

The Formula

Sun position is computed astronomically for your latitude/longitude on a given date. Each prayer corresponds to a specific solar event: Fajr — true dawn (sun ~18° below horizon, varies by method); Dhuhr — sun crosses meridian; Asr — shadow length = object length (Shafi'i) or 2× object length (Hanafi); Maghrib — sunset; Isha — true night (~17° below horizon, varies by method).

The exact angle thresholds for Fajr and Isha are what differentiate one calculation method from another. The Karachi method (used in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan) uses 18° for both Fajr and Isha. ISNA uses 15° for both. Umm al-Qura (Saudi Arabia) uses 18.5° for Fajr and a fixed 90 minutes after Maghrib for Isha. The differences between methods are typically 5–20 minutes and reflect different juristic interpretations of when 'true dawn' or 'true night' begins. The madhab (school) only affects the Asr time: the Hanafi school holds that Asr begins later in the afternoon, when an object's shadow equals twice its length plus the noon shadow, instead of just one length.

Put It in Perspective

In Karachi (24°N) the difference between summer and winter Fajr is about 90 minutes; in London (51°N) it can exceed 4 hours.

Mecca's Fajr stays within ~50 minutes of 5:00 AM year-round because the city sits near 21° latitude.

Reykjavik (64°N) has continuous twilight for parts of summer — Isha is calculated using a fixed offset after Maghrib in those weeks.

Istanbul's Diyanet timings are followed by ~30 million Turkish-speaking Muslims across Turkey, Germany, and the Balkans.

Practical Examples

In Karachi, Pakistan, summer Fajr is around 4:20 AM and winter Fajr around 5:45 AM — the variation is driven by the changing day length.

Sehri (the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan) ends at Imsak time, which is typically 10–15 minutes before Fajr to leave a buffer.

Iftar at sunset corresponds exactly to Maghrib time — the moment the sun's upper limb dips below the horizon.

Asr in Lahore using the Hanafi madhab is typically 30–60 minutes later than Asr using the Shafi'i / standard ruling — important for travellers and converts who follow one specific school.

In high-latitude countries (Norway, Sweden, UK in summer), some methods cap Isha to a fixed offset after Maghrib because true night never falls — the Aladhan API handles this automatically based on the chosen method.

Diyanet (Turkey) is widely used by the Turkish diaspora across Europe and is the official method for prayer schedules in Turkey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mosques typically pick one calculation method as their official standard (commonly Karachi in South Asia, Umm al-Qura in Saudi Arabia, MWL in Europe). Switching to the same method this calculator's dropdown should align you within 1–2 minutes — the rest is rounding and Iqamah (start-of-jamaah) padding.

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Salah Times Calculator

Salah Times Calculator

?What is the Salah Times Calculator?

The Formula

Put It in Perspective

Practical Examples

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are the prayer times slightly different from my mosque?

What is the difference between Shafi'i and Hanafi for Asr?

What is Imsak?

Can I use this for Ramadan Sehri and Iftar?

Why does my country show times for a specific city?

Do prayer times change every day?

Why is Isha so late in summer in northern countries?

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