ElifWhy do UK prayer timetables differ for Fajr and Isha?
Short answer
In the UK the sun does not sink far enough below the horizon in summer for the usual fixed-angle methods (18° or 17°) to work, so different methods give Fajr and Isha times that can differ by up to an hour. Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib agree closely everywhere. Asr also has two times: the Hanafi Asr (two shadow lengths) is about 30–75 minutes later in London than the standard Asr, depending on the season. The safest choice is to follow your local mosque's timetable.
Why Fajr and Isha are the hard ones
Fajr begins at true dawn and Isha after twilight has gone. Most calculation methods define these with a fixed sun angle below the horizon — for example 18° for Fajr. North of about 48.5° latitude the sun does not reach 18° below the horizon on the longest days of the year, and London is at about 51.5°N. In summer there is no point that matches the rule, so each method uses its own workaround — and the results can be far apart.
The East London Mosque notes that, especially during long summer days in northern latitudes, all timetables can only give an approximation for Fajr.
The main approaches used in the UK
- Local mosque timetables — for example the London Unified Prayer Timetable used by the East London Mosque, where daybreak and dusk are based on the work of Hizbul Ulama and sunrise is taken from HM Nautical Almanac Office with 3 minutes taken off for safety.
- Moonsighting Committee Worldwide — uses 18° with seasonal adjustments derived from dawn and twilight observations in many countries, including the UK, so that times stay realistic in summer.
- Fixed-angle methods (e.g. Muslim World League 18°/17°) — designed for lower latitudes; in the UK they need an extra high-latitude rule and drift furthest from mosque timetables in summer.
Asr: Hanafi and standard
Asr starts when an object's shadow equals its length (Mithl 1, the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali view) or twice its length (Mithl 2, the Hanafi view). Many UK mosques print both. In London the Hanafi Asr is about 30 minutes later in midwinter, around 45 minutes in autumn and up to about 75 minutes in midsummer. If your app shows an Asr time that seems "wrong", check which of the two it uses.
How Elif calculates UK prayer times
For the UK and Ireland, Elif uses the Moonsighting Committee method. We compared it with every day of the 2026 London Unified Prayer Timetable published by the East London Mosque:
- Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib were within 2 minutes on every day.
- Fajr was within 5 minutes on 94% of days.
- We show sunrise 3 minutes earlier and Isha 5 minutes later as a precaution, which brings Isha within 5 minutes on 88% of days.
On first use, Elif asks whether you follow the Hanafi or the standard Asr, and every prayer time can be adjusted by minutes to match your mosque exactly.
Related verses
- An-Nisa 4:103 —
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
Quotations are from the Saheeh International translation; links open the full verse on Quran.com.
Frequently asked
Which prayer time should I follow in the UK?
Follow the timetable of your local mosque, especially for Fajr and Isha in summer. If you use an app, choose the method and Asr school that match it.
Why is my app's Fajr an hour different from the mosque in June?
Because fixed-angle methods (such as 18°) cannot be applied in UK summers and fall back on different approximations. Seasonal methods such as the Moonsighting Committee stay much closer to UK mosque timetables.
Is Hanafi Asr or standard Asr correct?
Both are valid opinions of the schools of law. Follow the school you practise; many mosques show both times.
In Elif
Elif shows UK prayer times calculated with the Moonsighting Committee method, lets you choose Hanafi or standard Asr, and lets you fine-tune each prayer by minutes to match your mosque. Adhan notifications, a qibla compass and a lock-screen widget with the time to the next prayer are included — free and ad-free.
Sources
- East London Mosque — Prayer times and calendar explained
- East London Mosque — Prayer timetable (London Unified Prayer Timetable)
- Moonsighting Committee Worldwide — How we calculate Muslim prayer times
- Adhan (open-source prayer time library) — calculation methods
This page is compiled from the rulings of Türkiye's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the sources listed. Rulings follow the Hanafi school; where other schools differ, this is noted. For your personal situation, please ask a scholar at your local mosque. Last updated: 5 October 2026.