What time is Fajr today and how is it calculated?
Fajr is the first of the five daily prayers in Islam, observed in the window between true dawn and sunrise. The time changes every day with the seasons, and it differs by 10-20 minutes between calculation methods. If your phone shows a different Fajr time than the mosque down the street, the difference is almost always the calculation method.
For today's Fajr time in any city, the Islamic prayer time page handles it. The rest of this post explains the calculation.
What Fajr is
Fajr means "dawn" in Arabic. The prayer is observed during the period between true dawn (al-fajr al-sadiq) and sunrise. True dawn is when the first horizontal light appears on the eastern horizon — distinct from "false dawn," a brief vertical pre-glow that fades before true dawn.
The Qur'an describes the timing using the imagery of "the white thread becoming distinguishable from the black thread of dawn." In modern timekeeping, this corresponds to a specific sun-angle-below-horizon.
The sun-angle calculation
Fajr's start is calculated as the moment the sun reaches a specified angle below the eastern horizon. Different schools of thought use different angles:
| Method | Fajr angle | Used by |
|--------|------------|---------|
| Muslim World League (MWL) | 18° | Many countries; default in many apps |
| ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) | 15° | North America |
| Egyptian General Authority of Survey | 19.5° | Egypt, parts of MENA |
| Umm al-Qura (Mecca) | 18.5° | Saudi Arabia |
| University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi | 18° | Pakistan, parts of South Asia |
| Tehran | 17.7° | Iran |
| Diyanet İşleri (Turkey) | varies | Turkey |
| Singapore | 20° | Singapore |
The angle determines how dark it still is when Fajr begins. Smaller angles (15° ISNA) mean Fajr starts later (closer to sunrise). Larger angles (19.5° Egypt) mean Fajr starts earlier (more before sunrise).
The differences add up to 10-20 minutes between methods at typical latitudes.
Why different methods exist
Each method represents a different fiqh (jurisprudential) tradition:
- MWL (18°) is widely used as a "modern, neutral" standard
- ISNA (15°) was chosen for North American conditions where 18° was felt to push Fajr too early
- Egyptian (19.5°) reflects historical Egyptian astronomical practice
- Umm al-Qura is the official method for Saudi Arabia
- Karachi (18°) mirrors MWL but emerged independently
All are considered valid within their respective traditions. There's no "correct" method — pick the one your local mosque or community uses.
How to find your Fajr time
The Islamic prayer time page for your city defaults to MWL but lets you switch methods. The displayed Fajr time is computed from your local sunrise minus the appropriate offset for the chosen sun angle.
Common Indian/Pakistani cities use Karachi method. Most Western cities default to MWL or ISNA. Saudi cities use Umm al-Qura.
What "true dawn" looks like
If you've never noticed it, true dawn is genuinely faint:
- ~75 minutes before sunrise (at 18° angle, typical latitudes): the eastern horizon shows the first hint of horizontal light. Most stars still visible.
- ~45 minutes before sunrise: light is more evident; eastern horizon clearly bluer than overhead. Astronomical twilight ends.
- ~30 minutes before sunrise: civil twilight begins; horizon is clearly lit; you can see well outdoors.
- Sunrise: top edge of sun visible.
Fajr's window starts at the first stage. Most observant Muslims pray before the sky brightens significantly.
The Asr method differences (related but distinct)
Different schools of thought disagree about Asr time, but Fajr time typically follows the school's primary calculation method. So if you're set to "Hanafi" for Asr, your Fajr usually uses Karachi (18°) by default in many apps.
This isn't a hard rule. Apps generally let you set Fajr/Isha angles independently of the Asr juristic method.
Calculating Fajr without an app
If you want to do it yourself:
1. Find sunrise time for your city, today's date. Standard astronomy.
2. Subtract the time it takes the sun to drop from horizon to the chosen angle below it. This depends on your latitude and the date (the sun moves at a different rate at different latitudes and times of year).
3. The result is Fajr time.
The math involves spherical trigonometry. You can do it with a calculator and the right formulas, but most people use an app or website.
Variations across the year
Fajr time shifts dramatically with seasons:
Summer (June at northern latitudes): days are longest, dawn is earliest. Fajr in London on June 21 is around 2:45 AM.
Winter (December at northern latitudes): days are shortest, dawn is latest. Fajr in London on December 21 is around 6:00 AM.
Tropical latitudes: less variation. Fajr in Singapore varies only 30-40 minutes across the year.
High latitudes (above ~48°N): Fajr can become problematic in summer when the sun's angle never drops below 18° — meaning by strict calculation, Fajr "doesn't happen." Various fiqh rulings address this case (see the high-latitude post).
Daily prep
Many observant Muslims:
- Set an alarm for 10-15 minutes before Fajr so they can prepare for prayer
- Suhoor (pre-fast meal during Ramadan) ends at Fajr time, so the alarm matters extra during Ramadan
- Wake up time is typically Fajr time + 10-30 minutes for the prayer itself
For Ramadan specifically, the Islamic prayer time page shows Fajr alongside Maghrib (when the fast ends) for the entire month.
FAQ
Why does my phone show Fajr 10 minutes earlier than the mosque's announcement?
Almost certainly a calculation method mismatch. Your phone might be set to MWL (18°), the mosque to ISNA (15°), Egyptian (19.5°), or another method. Switch your app's method to match the mosque.
Which method is "correct"?
All recognized methods are valid. There's no single "correct" choice. Pick the one your local community uses, or the one that aligns with your tradition.
What if I miss Fajr?
Pray it as soon as you remember (qada). Some schools require praying it before the next prayer; others allow making up later in the day. Standard practice is to pray missed prayers in order before the current one if practical.
Is Fajr time the same as suhoor end?
Yes. Suhoor (the pre-dawn meal during Ramadan) ends at the start of Fajr. Eating after Fajr begins breaks the fast.
Why does Fajr time change every day?
Because it's tied to sunrise, which shifts with the seasons. In summer, sunrise is earlier; in winter, later. Fajr follows sunrise minus the calculated offset.
What if I live somewhere with white nights (Northern Europe in summer)?
Above ~48°N latitude in summer, the sun doesn't drop 18° below the horizon — so Fajr by 18° calculation "doesn't happen." Your app likely uses one of several alternatives: 1/7 of the night, the most recent valid Fajr, or a fixed time relative to Mecca. The Islamic prayer time page handles this automatically for high-latitude cities.
Bottom line
Fajr time is calculated as sunrise minus an offset that depends on the sun-angle method your app or community uses (typically 15-20°). The exact time changes daily with the seasons and varies by 10-20 minutes between methods. Pick the method your local mosque uses for consistency.
For today's Fajr time in any city, the Islamic prayer time page handles the calculation.