Prayer Time Calculator
Prayer Times Are a Function of Geometry, Not Just the Clock
The five daily prayer times are all defined relative to the sun's position — how far below the horizon it sits, or whether it's crossed the meridian — rather than fixed clock times, which is why they shift daily and vary by location. This calculator computes the sun's declination and the equation of time for a given date using standard solar-position formulas, then derives each prayer time from the local latitude, longitude, and UTC offset, following one of five widely used angle conventions.
The Method
Fajr / Isha / Sunrise / Maghrib = Dhuhr ± Hour Angle for the method's sun-angle below horizon
Asr = Dhuhr + Hour Angle where shadow length = Asr Factor + tan(|Latitude − Declination|)
Sunrise and Maghrib both use a 0.833° angle (accounting for atmospheric refraction and the sun's apparent radius). Fajr and Isha use angles that vary by calculation authority, listed below.
Calculation Methods
| Method | Fajr Angle | Isha |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim World League | 18.0° | 17.0° below horizon |
| Islamic Society of North America | 15.0° | 15.0° below horizon |
| Egyptian General Authority | 19.5° | 17.5° below horizon |
| University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi | 18.0° | 18.0° below horizon |
| Umm al-Qura University, Makkah | 18.5° | 90 minutes after Maghrib |
Asr time also depends on the madhab selected: the standard (Shafi'i/Maliki/Hanbali) convention uses a shadow-length factor of 1, while the Hanafi convention uses a factor of 2, producing a later Asr time.
A Worked Example
New York City (40.7128°N, 74.0060°W, UTC−4) on July 17, 2026, using the Muslim World League method and the standard madhab:
| Prayer | Time |
|---|---|
| Fajr | 03:40 |
| Sunrise | 05:39 |
| Dhuhr | 13:02 |
| Asr | 17:00 |
| Maghrib | 20:25 |
| Isha | 22:16 |
Solar-position formulas are accurate to roughly ±1 minute. Local mosques and authorities sometimes apply small manual adjustments, so verify against a local source for religious observance.
Where This Calculation Matters
- Daily observance — getting accurate times for any date and location without relying on a location-specific published schedule.
- Travel — prayer times shift significantly with latitude and longitude, so recalculating for a travel destination avoids relying on home-city habits.
- Comparing conventions — seeing how much Fajr or Isha shifts between calculation methods, useful when local community practice differs from a traveler's usual method.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the date.
- Enter the latitude and longitude of the location.
- Enter the UTC timezone offset for that location.
- Select a calculation method (Muslim World League, ISNA, Egyptian, Karachi, or Umm al-Qura).
- Select the Asr madhab (Standard or Hanafi).
- Select Calculate to see all six times: Fajr, Sunrise, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha.
Related Calculations
To convert any of these times to a different time zone, use the Time Zone Calculator. For the interval between two dates or prayer schedules, see the Date Difference Calculator.