Prayer Time Method Comparison
Prayer Time Method Comparison
Keep the place fixed and compare Fajr and Isha across major calculation methods.
| Method | Fajr | Isha | Difference vs MWL |
|---|
Compare methods without changing the location
This tool keeps the coordinates, date and time zone fixed and recalculates the day under several published methods. It is useful when a mosque, app and website differ by several minutes and you want to identify whether the difference comes from Fajr/Isha parameters rather than from the city itself.
How to read the result
A difference in Fajr or Isha is expected when two methods use different twilight angles or a fixed Isha interval. Sunrise, Dhuhr and Maghrib should normally be much closer because they are based on the same solar events.
Keep variables fixed
A meaningful comparison changes only the calculation method while keeping date, coordinates, time zone and Asr convention unchanged. If the location or time zone also changes, the difference can no longer be attributed to the method.
Expected pattern
Sunrise, Dhuhr and Maghrib normally stay close across methods because they use common solar events. Fajr and Isha can differ more substantially because their twilight parameters differ. Umm al-Qura’s fixed Isha interval is a different kind of rule from an angle-based Isha.
Use the comparison to diagnose—not to declare a winner
The table helps explain why two reliable timetables disagree. It does not decide which method a particular mosque or community should follow.
Hold every other variable constant
The comparison is meaningful because coordinates, date, time zone and Asr setting stay fixed while only the named calculation method changes. Changing the city at the same time would make it impossible to know which input caused the difference.
Fixed-minute Isha needs different interpretation
Umm al-Qura and some Gulf conventions can use a fixed interval after Maghrib. Their Isha value should not be described as the result of a twilight angle when the configured method is interval-based. During Ramadan, the Makkah convention uses the site’s documented Ramadan-specific interval.
Use the table diagnostically
If the local mosque differs from every method by the same small number of minutes, check local offsets, rounding and coordinates. If only Fajr differs substantially, the twilight convention is a more likely explanation.