A short guide

The five daily Islamic prayers.

A short guide to the names shown in your timetable.

Five prayers, one solar day

Muslims pray five times a day at times fixed by the position of the sun, which is why they shift a little every day and differ from city to city. A timetable lists the moment each prayer becomes due. The table below is the order you will see in every result on this site.

The five daily prayers and what sets their calculated start
PrayerAlso writtenCalculated start
FajrSubh, FajarDawn: the sun a set angle below the eastern horizon
DhuhrZuhr, DuhrJust after solar noon, when the sun has passed its highest point
AsrAsarWhen a shadow reaches one (standard) or two (Hanafi) object lengths beyond its noon shadow
MaghribMaghrebSunset
IshaIsha’a, EshaNightfall: the sun a set angle below the western horizon, or a fixed interval after sunset

Fajr

The dawn prayer. Its calculated start depends on the dawn angle in the selected method, which is why Fajr varies most between timetables. It ends at sunrise, so the Sunrise column marks the close of the Fajr window as well as the start of the day.

Dhuhr and Asr

Dhuhr follows solar noon, which is rarely 12:00 on the clock because time zones are wide and daylight saving shifts them. Asr is the afternoon prayer; its start is the only one affected by the Asr convention you choose.

Maghrib and Isha

Maghrib begins at sunset under every method offered here. Isha is the night prayer, calculated from evening twilight or, under Umm al-Qura, a fixed 90 minutes after Maghrib. During Ramadan, Maghrib is also the moment of iftar; see the Ramadan timetable page.

When does each prayer end?

Timetables show starts. As commonly taught, each prayer may be offered until the next one begins: Fajr until sunrise, Dhuhr until Asr, Asr until sunset, Maghrib until Isha, and Isha until Fajr, with many scholars advising that Isha be prayed before the middle of the night. Differences exist between schools, so treat this as orientation and confirm with a qualified teacher.

Sunrise is a reference

Sunrise appears in the timetable to help interpret the day. It is not one of the five daily prayers and is never counted by the next-prayer line on the calculator. This guide does not replace instruction from a qualified teacher.

Frequently asked questions

What are the five daily prayers called?

In the order they occur: Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha.

Is Sunrise one of the five daily prayers?

No. Sunrise marks the end of the Fajr window and appears as a reference point in the timetable, but it is not counted as one of the five daily prayers.

What determines when Fajr starts?

Fajr begins at dawn, calculated from the dawn angle used by the selected calculation method, which is why Fajr varies the most between different timetables.

Why does Asr start at a different time on different settings?

Asr is the only prayer affected by the Asr convention you choose — the standard schools use one shadow length beyond the noon shadow, the Hanafi school uses two.

Until when can each prayer be offered?

As commonly taught, Fajr may be offered until sunrise, Dhuhr until Asr, Asr until sunset, Maghrib until Isha, and Isha until Fajr. Schools differ on some details, so confirm with a qualified teacher.

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