Umm al-Qura calendar and prayer times
Friday 13 November 20263 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448
The Umm al-Qura method of working out prayer times starts Fajr when the sun is 18.5 degrees below the horizon and puts Isha 90 minutes after Maghrib, or 120 minutes in Ramadan. Dhuhr is when the sun passes its highest point, Asr starts when an object's shadow equals its length, and Maghrib at sunset. Every city on this site is calculated this way. We do not publish the calendar and do not speak for its authors.
| Prayer | When it starts | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | Sun 18.5 degrees below the horizon | Criterion of the method |
| Sunrise | The sun appears at the horizon | End of the Fajr period, Sahih Muslim 612 |
| Dhuhr | The sun passes the middle of the sky | Sahih Muslim 612 |
| Asr | Shadow equals the object | Hadith of Jibril leading the prayer, Abu Dawud 393 |
| Maghrib | Sunset | Hadith of Jibril leading the prayer, Abu Dawud 393 |
| Isha | 90 minutes after Maghrib, 120 in Ramadan | Criterion of the method |
The Fajr and Isha figures are the ones calculation software uses for this method. We found no text published by the calendar's own authority that could be cited for them, so they are presented as the site's calculation parameters. The full procedure is on the method page.
The Hijri date used here
Hijri dates on the site come from the Umm al-Qura calendar as calculated astronomically. The current Hijri year is 1448, and today, 13 November 2026, is 3 Jumada al-Akhirah 1448. This calendar can put the start of a month a day away from the moon-sighting announcement, and when it does, people follow the announcement and not the calculation.
Questions about the Umm al-Qura calendar
Is this site part of the Umm al-Qura calendar?
No. It has no organisational tie to the calendar or to any official body. It uses the calendar's method for its calculations and says so on every page.
What is the difference between the Hijri calendar and a prayer timetable?
The Hijri calendar says what the date is and when a month begins. A prayer timetable gives the hours of the five prayers for one city. People use the same name for both, but they are two different things.
Why is Isha 30 minutes later in Ramadan?
The method sets 120 minutes after Maghrib in Ramadan, instead of 90 in the other months. We do not explain the reason, because we found no published text that does.