Guide
Prayer Time Calculation Methods Compared
A “calculation method” is simply a set of agreed conventions — mainly the sun-depression angles used for Fajr and Isha — adopted by a religious authority. The prayer times themselves are the same astronomy; the method decides the exact angles. Here are the most widely used ones.
The main methods at a glance
| Method | Fajr | Isha | Commonly used in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muslim World League | 18° | 17° | Europe, parts of Asia & Africa |
| ISNA | 15° | 15° | North America |
| Umm al-Qura | 18.5° | 90 min after Maghrib | Saudi Arabia |
| Egyptian Authority | 19.5° | 17.5° | Egypt, parts of Africa |
| Karachi | 18° | 18° | Pakistan, India, Bangladesh |
| Kemenag | 20° | 18° | Indonesia |
Which one should you use?
Use whichever your local mosque or national authority follows — that keeps you in step with your community. The differences mostly affect Fajr and Isha (by a handful of minutes); Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib barely change between methods.
A note on Asr (the madhab)
Separately from the method, Asr depends on your school of thought (madhab): the Hanafi position gives a later Asr than the Shafi'i/Maliki/Hanbali one. Calculation methods don't change this — the madhab does.
What MawaqitGo uses
Each MawaqitGo city page applies the method commonly followed in that region and names it in the page's introduction, so you always know which convention produced the times you're seeing.