The Prayer Time Methods in Germany

Upfront Recommendation for a Quick Answer

The three methods listed here vary mainly in the times for the summer months. It is strongly recommended to preferably use the method from Gebetszeiten.de, as it is considered the best choice for the fasting period and is recommended all year round. The Fajr times of DITIB, in particular, have built-in interpolation that is forbidden by the Muslim World League. We have nevertheless included this method and point out during this period that the times are not suitable for fasting.

For Everyone Who Wants to Know Exactly:

Since the twilight that determines the times for Fajr (dawn) and Isha (dusk) no longer ends during summer in some parts of Germany, various methods have been developed to calculate prayer times during this period. We recognise the permission for this from a Hadith of the Messenger of Allah, salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam, concerning the appearance of the Dajjal, in which the Sahaba asked:

Messenger of Allah, how long will the Dajjal stay on earth? He (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) answered: "For forty days, one day like a year, one day like a month and one day like a week, and the rest of the days will be like your days." The Sahaba asked further: "Would the prayer that is for a single day be sufficient for a day that is equal to a year?" To this, he (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: "No, but you must estimate the time accordingly (and then perform the prayer)." (Bukhari)

The Absence of Celestial Phenomena

From this Hadith, we recognise that it is necessary to perform the prayers even if the celestial phenomena no longer occur for a certain period of time. We also recognise that no explicit method is given to us in this Hadith. This is because there can be no universal method. This becomes clearer when we compare the prayer times in Northern Europe and at the geographical poles (North and South Poles).

At the North and South Poles in winter, there is no longer Shuruq (sunrise), Dhuhr (midday), Asr (afternoon), or Maghrib (sunset) for many months. In summer, however, there is often only Dhuhr. In Northern Europe, only Fajr and Isha no longer occur in summer. The other prayers do occur and must be performed at the time of the corresponding phenomenon. Therefore, the method in Europe is limited to estimating Fajr and Isha.

Estimating the Prayer Times

Since no explicit method has been passed down to us from the Sunnah, this task was left to future generations. Now it is possible to develop methods that best suit the respective time period and location. These methods should imitate the prayer times as realistically as possible. It would be inappropriate to say that we set Isha 10 minutes after Maghrib just because our Maghrib is already very late. This method would be poor, as 10 minutes is not always enough to pray Maghrib, and there is no place on earth where Isha occurs after such a short time. One might say, however, that Isha is set particularly late, so that it can be prayed shortly before Fajr. But this too would lead to problems if, for example, there was not enough time left for the Taraweeh prayer or Suhoor during Ramadan. And there is also no place on earth where Isha occurs so shortly before Fajr. Therefore, it is desirable for the times to be in relation to each other. For example, if the time between Maghrib and Isha is always shorter than the time between Fajr and Shuruq, this should also be taken into account in the estimation.

The estimates should also consider the well-being of the people. A method that unnecessarily shortens sleep and can only be managed by a few people would not be desirable. Islam is for all people, and this should also be taken into consideration in the estimates.

In summary, it can be stated:

The estimates should mimic the actual conditions as closely as possible and be practicable for all Muslims.

Assessing the Methods in Germany

In the following, an evaluation of the methods in Germany is carried out based on the above-mentioned recommendations. It should be emphasised that there are no explicitly right or wrong methods in this matter. It is certainly desirable to fulfil all criteria, but this would not necessarily make the individual methods invalid.

However, adding buffer minutes to disguise the transition from the normal time to the estimation is not valid. Both the IZ-Aachen and Diyanet use such buffer minutes in their lists and artificially alter the prayer times for about two weeks before and after the estimation. As a result, these lists contain invalid times for approximately two weeks in both spring and autumn.

The Method of Gebetszeiten.de

Originally published by the Muslim World League (MWL), it is based on the relative annual average of the prayer times for a location. This method represents an advancement over the old 1986 method, which used the value of a location in Northern Italy. However, this method was never officially applied. Not because it was bad, but because it was not practicable in its original form. The times for Isha and Fajr were artificially kept close to each other in the middle of the night by adding buffer minutes to make the list look more appealing. However, this failed to take into account that this is a burden for most people and does not reflect realistic conditions. By removing the buffer minutes, these flaws were corrected, and the method now fulfils all three recommendations:

The times are in realistic relation to each other.
They have a realistic duration.
They represent less of a burden on people.

The MWL Method from 1986-2007

This method was endorsed by renowned scholars such as Sheikh Ibn Baz, Sheikh al-Fawzan, Sheikh Uthaymeen, and Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd. It uses the percentage night length of the 45th latitude to estimate the prayer times for latitudes from 48.6 to 66.6. Although it is an excellent method, it can feel unnatural to pray according to the relative time of Milan in Italy. However, the method serves its purpose and results in times with realistic relations and durations. Yet, it can be perceived as a burden that Isha and Fajr occur quite late and early, respectively, compared to other methods.

In summary, it can be stated:

The times are in realistic relation to each other.
They have a realistic duration.
However, they represent a burden for a larger number of people.

The Unified Prayer Times for Germany

Since 2014, communities of Turkish, Arab, and Balkan descent have joined together in commissions to unify prayer times in Germany. In 2022, the prayer times for the year 2023 were officially announced. Unfortunately, the results did not prove to be completely unified. The implementation of the methods differs between the Turkish and Arab communities, so one can rather speak of a unification within the Turkish communities. Nevertheless, this represents a major advancement, as some communities had provided invalid times for the Fajr prayer for decades until then.

Fundamental Inaccuracies of the Unified Prayer Times

The method is based on the Shari'a division of the night into thirds, in which one third is added to the Maghrib time to determine the Isha time, and one third is subtracted from the Shuruq time to obtain the Fajr time. The problem, however, is that the times calculated by this method are subject to certain fluctuations. The calculation of the night length is based on a specific day of the year as a reference, which can shift if the coordinates of the location deviate slightly. Furthermore, the calculation is made during a period in which the inaccuracy increases. Therefore, applying this method with minor deviations in the coordinates can shift the prayer times for summer by 5-10 minutes. The result would be different prayer times in the very same city. Also, different developers wishing to integrate the method into their websites or apps can no longer guarantee that they will generate the same times. These apps would then often have different times and would not be considered authentic, even though the inaccuracy lies within the method itself. This may be the reason why the times can only be downloaded for specific locations via a web service.

The Unified Prayer Times of the IZ-Aachen

The prayer times of the IZ-Aachen are also based on the division of the night into thirds, but they yield moderate times that represent a relief compared to the previous method. By dividing the night into thirds, the time spans from Maghrib to Isha and from Fajr to Shuruq become equally long. As a result, however, the relative times no longer correspond to reality. Moreover, the relations of the times to each other are no longer based on the actual times, but on the division of the night into thirds on a specific day of the year.

In summary, it can be stated:

The prayer times are not in natural relation to each other and have a built-in inaccuracy.
They do not have natural lengths.
They represent less of a burden on people.

The Unified Prayer Times of Diyanet

The Diyanet times are also based on the division of the night into thirds, but the Fajr time was set later, so one can no longer speak of dividing into thirds. Possibly this deviation was introduced to make the prayer times even easier, even though the division into thirds had already been committed to, requiring a compromise. The result is times that offer relief to Muslims. Due to dividing the night into thirds, however, the times are not in natural relation to each other, and the delay of the Fajr time results in a disadvantage, as the time from Fajr to Shuruq is now shorter than the time from Maghrib to Isha. Thus, this method generates easier times than those of the IZ-Aachen, but accepts a distortion of the relations.

In summary, it can be stated:

The prayer times are not in natural relation to each other and have a built-in inaccuracy.
They do not have natural lengths.
They represent a much lower burden on people.