Islamic Manual

The times of the five daily prayers

When Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha begin and end, the best time to pray each one, and the disliked delays.

Allah has fixed a time window for each of the five daily prayers. You must pray each one inside its own window, not too early, and not too late.

A day from true dawn to the next dawn. The sun rises from below the horizon at sunrise, is highest at the zenith and sets at sunset. Fajr runs from true dawn to sunrise; nothing is due from sunrise to the zenith; Dhuhr from the zenith until an object’s shadow beyond its zenith shadow is twice its height; Asr from then to sunset; Maghrib from sunset until the white twilight ends; Isha from then to the next dawn.

The five prayer windows across one day.
When each prayer starts and ends
Prayer StartsEnds
Fajr When the sky first shows light (dawn)When the sun rises
Dhuhr A little after the sun is at its highest pointWhen a shadow grows to twice as long as the thing making it
Asr When that shadow reaches twice as longWhen the sun sets
Maghrib Right after the sun setsWhen the evening glow in the sky is gone
Isha When the evening glow is goneThe next dawn

Witr is prayed in the same window as Isha, but it is best to pray it straight after Isha.

The best time to pray each one

  1. Fajr: pray once daylight has spread a bit, but leave enough time to finish the prayer: about 40 to 50 verses' worth, including Surah al-Fatiha.
  2. Dhuhr: pray it early in winter and later in summer, but always before the shadow doubles.
  3. Asr: it is best to pray it a little later, but not so late that the sun turns yellow.
  4. Maghrib: pray it as soon as you can.
  5. Isha: it is best to wait until about a third of the night has passed. Witr can be delayed to the last part of the night, but only if you are sure you will wake up. If you are not sure, pray Witr before you sleep.

Each of the five obligatory (fard) prayers has its own fixed window. Praying before the window opens or after it closes does not count; within the window, some parts of the time are preferable (mustahabb) to others.

A day from true dawn to the next dawn. The sun rises from below the horizon at sunrise, is highest at the zenith and sets at sunset. Fajr runs from true dawn to sunrise; nothing is due from sunrise to the zenith; Dhuhr from the zenith until an object’s shadow beyond its zenith shadow is twice its height; Asr from then to sunset; Maghrib from sunset until the white twilight ends; Isha from then to the next dawn.

The five prayer windows
Prayer BeginsEnds
Fajr True dawnSunrise
Dhuhr The sun passing its zenithThe shadow of an object (beyond its zenith shadow) becoming twice its own height
Asr The shadow of an object becoming twice its own heightSunset
Maghrib Immediately after sunsetThe disappearance of the white twilight
Isha The disappearance of the white twilightThe next dawn

Witr's time is the same as Isha's, though it is preferable to pray it after Isha rather than combine it in a single sitting.

The preferred time within each window
Prayer Preferred timing
Fajr After the light of dawn has spread, but with enough time left to complete the prayer, reciting around 40–50 verses including Surah al-Fatiha, if needed
Dhuhr Early in winter; delayed in summer, always inside the window before the shadow doubles
Asr Delayed somewhat, but not so long that the sun turns yellow
Maghrib As soon as possible after its start
Isha Delayed until roughly a third of the night has passed; Witr may be delayed further, to the last part of the night, if one is confident of waking; otherwise Witr is prayed before sleeping
Disliked (Makrūh)better not to

It is disliked, without a valid excuse, to delay Asr until the sun turns yellow, to delay Maghrib until the stars are clearly visible, or to delay Isha until after midnight.

Each of the five fard prayers occupies a fixed waqt (time window); the prayer is invalid outside it. Within the waqt, the fuqaha further distinguish the mustahabb time, the part of the window in which it is best to pray, from the remainder, which is valid but less preferred.

A day from true dawn to the next dawn. The sun rises from below the horizon at sunrise, is highest at the zenith and sets at sunset. Fajr runs from true dawn to sunrise; nothing is due from sunrise to the zenith; Dhuhr from the zenith until an object’s shadow beyond its zenith shadow is twice its height; Asr from then to sunset; Maghrib from sunset until the white twilight ends; Isha from then to the next dawn.

The five prayer windows
Prayer BeginsEnds
Fajr Ṭulūʿ al-fajr aṣ-ṣādiq (true dawn)Sunrise
Dhuhr Zawāl (the sun's passing its zenith)The shadow of an object, beyond its shadow at zawāl, reaching twice the object's own height
Asr The shadow of an object reaching twice its own height (beyond the zawāl shadow)Sunset
Maghrib Immediately on sunsetThe disappearance of ash-shafaq al-abyaḍ (the white twilight)
Isha The disappearance of the white twilightThe following true dawn

Witr shares Isha's window exactly; it is nonetheless preferable to offer it after, rather than combined with, the Isha prayer.

Obligatory (Farḍ)must do

The doubling of the shadow that closes Dhuhr's time and opens Asr's is measured from the shadow already present at zawāl, not from zero; an object may cast a residual shadow at the moment of zawāl depending on latitude and season. Asr's time begins only once the shadow beyond that residual equals twice the object's own height.

The mustahabb time within each window
Prayer Preferred timingQualification
Fajr After isfār (the spreading of dawn's light)Only if enough of the window remains to complete the prayer: reciting some 40–50 verses, including al-Fatiha, if the imam judges it needed
Dhuhr Early (taʿjīl) in winter, delayed (ibrād) in summerAlways within the window, before the shadow doubles
Asr Delayed (taʾkhīr)Provided the delay does not run on until the sun visibly yellows
Maghrib As soon as the window opensNot applicable
Isha Delayed until roughly a third of the night has passedWitr may be delayed further, to the night's last part, for one confident of waking; otherwise Witr is prayed before sleep, since a missed Witr is not made up in the same way
Disliked (Makrūh)better not to

Absent a valid excuse, it is makrūh to delay Asr until the sun has visibly yellowed, to delay Maghrib until the stars are clearly out, or to delay Isha beyond midnight.

This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 316 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.

Times for Obligatory Prayers

The five daily obligatory prayers are as follows:

  1. Fajr: The time for Fajr begins at dawn and lasts until the sunrise.
  2. Dhuhr: The time for Dhuhr starts after the sun passes its zenith and lasts until the shadow of any object (other than its original shadow) becomes twice as long as its height.
  3. Asr: The time for Asr begins when the shadow of any object becomes twice its height and lasts until sunset.
  4. Maghrib: The time for Maghrib begins immediately after sunset and lasts until the disappearance of the white twilight.
  5. Isha: The time for Isha starts after the white twilight has disappeared and lasts until dawn. The time for Witr is also the same as Isha, but it is preferable to offer it after Isha prayer.

Times for Obligatory Prayers First Note

  1. It is preferred to pray Fajr after the light of dawn spreads, but there should be enough time left to complete the prayer (if needed) with at least 40–50 verses, including Surah Al-Fatiha.
  2. It is preferred to pray Dhuhr early in winter and to delay it in summer, but it should always be prayed within the time when the shadow reaches twice its length.
  3. It is preferred to delay Asr prayer, but the delay should not cause the sun to turn yellow.
  4. It is preferred to offer Maghrib prayer as soon as possible.
  5. It is preferred to delay Isha prayer until one-third of the night has passed, but it is permissible to delay Witr until the last part of the night. However, if a person cannot be certain of staying awake, it is better to pray before sleeping.

Times for Obligatory Prayers Second Note

On cloudy days, it is preferred to offer Asr and Isha prayers early, while the other prayers can be delayed.

Times for Obligatory Prayers Third Note

It is disliked to delay the Asr prayer until the sun turns yellow, Maghrib prayer until the stars are clearly visible, and Isha prayer until after midnight without a valid excuse.

Terms on this page

Witr

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