Prayer Guides
Every prayer time on this site comes from real astronomy, a named calculation method and a specific set of coordinates. These eight guides open that process up. They cover what's actually being calculated, why different sites can land on different minutes for the same city and how to make sense of the choices (Asr madhab, daylight saving, Adhan versus Iqamah) that affect the time you see.
What these guides cover
The real methods behind every prayer time on this site
8
Plain-language guides
18°/17°
Fajr / Isha angles explained
2
Asr madhabs compared
30 to 60 min
Hanafi vs Shafi'i Asr gap
All eight guides
How Prayer Times Are Calculated
The sun-angle astronomy behind every time on this site: what Jean Meeus's formulas actually compute and why it's mathematics, not tradition or guesswork.
Muslim World League Explained
What the MWL method is, why it sets Fajr at 18 degrees and Isha at 17 and how it differs from other major methods.
Calculation Method Comparison
A side-by-side table of every major calculation method, including ISNA, Karachi, Umm al-Qura and Egyptian, and how their Fajr and Isha angles differ.
Hanafi vs Shafi'i Asr
Why the Hanafi and Shafi'i madhabs can put Asr 30 to 60 minutes apart, what the shadow-length rule behind each one actually means and how to choose.
Why Prayer Time Websites Disagree
The real, structural reasons two prayer-time sites can show different times for the same city: different methods, different coordinates, different rounding.
DST in Australia
How daylight saving shifts the daily prayer schedule each year, the real 2026 transition dates and the timezone mistake that catches many sites out.
Adhan vs Iqamah
The difference between the calculated Adhan time this site shows and the Iqamah time your local mosque sets. The two are rarely the same clock time.
Southern-Hemisphere Prayer Times
Why Sydney's prayer calendar runs opposite to the northern-hemisphere assumptions baked into a lot of prayer-time software and what that changes in practice.
Where to start
New to how these calculations work at all? Start with How Prayer Times Are Calculated, then Muslim World League Explained for the specific method this site uses. If you've noticed two apps disagree on a time, jump straight to Why Prayer Time Websites Disagree.
Our own figures
The site's own method
These guides explain the general astronomy. The exact method behind this site's own times is on the about page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about these guides and where to find the exact method this site uses.
Which guide should I read first? +
Start with How Prayer Times Are Calculated for the astronomy, then Muslim World League Explained for the specific method this site uses.
Do these guides change over time? +
Most stay evergreen (the astronomy and madhab rules don't change). The DST in Australia guide is updated each year with the real transition dates.
Where's the exact method this site itself uses? +
On the About page: the precise angles and formula behind every time on this site.
Are these guides specific to Sydney or general? +
The astronomy and calculation-method guides are general and apply anywhere. Southern-Hemisphere Prayer Times and DST in Australia are Sydney/Australia-specific. Those two topics genuinely work differently here than in most northern-hemisphere prayer-time content.
I still have a question a guide doesn't answer, what do I do? +
Use the contact page. Genuine gaps get folded into an existing guide or turned into a new one.