Calculation method

MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura)

The MUIS (Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura) method places Fajr when the sun is 20° below the horizon and Isha 18° below the horizon. Maghrib is at sunset. It is conventionally used in Singapore.

Fajr angle20°
Maghribat sunset
Isha18° below the horizon
Used inSingapore

What does the Fajr angle mean?

Fajr begins at true dawn, when the first light appears along the horizon. Astronomically that is expressed as the sun being a set number of degrees below the horizon — here 20°. A larger angle means an earlier Fajr.

How this method differs from the others

All nineteen methods agree on Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib, because those are fixed by the sun's position and by shadow length rather than by convention. They differ only on Fajr and Isha, which begin when the sun sits a set number of degrees below the horizon — and that number is a judgement about when dawn first appears and when the last light leaves. MUIS uses 20° for Fajr. A larger angle means an earlier Fajr and a later Isha; a smaller one, the reverse. Between the widest and narrowest methods the difference can reach half an hour at temperate latitudes, and more in summer further north.

Should you use it?

Use the method your local mosque or national authority uses. Praying in step with the congregation around you matters more than matching any particular calculation, and a method is a convention adopted by a body rather than a fact to be got right. MUIS is the convention in Singapore. If you are elsewhere, your local authority's choice is the one to follow.

Common questions

What Fajr angle does MUIS use?

MUIS places Fajr when the sun is 20° below the horizon.

When does Isha begin under MUIS?

Isha is 18° below the horizon.

Where is MUIS used?

It is the conventional method in Singapore.

See it applied

Calculate for your own location · How prayer times are calculated

The other calculation methods

Methods differ only in the Fajr and Isha angles; every other prayer follows from the sun directly. The angle each one uses is given below.

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