Isha End Time
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr that the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “When you pray Fajr, its time is until the first part of the sun appears. When you pray Zuhr, its time is until ‘Asr comes. When you pray ‘Asr, its time is until the sun turns yellow. When you pray Maghrib, its time is until the twilight has disappeared. When you pray Isha, its time is until half of the night has passed.” Sahih Muslim, Book 5, Hadith 219 · 612a
Last Third of the Night
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Our Lord, may He be Blessed and Exalted, comes down to the lowest heaven every night when the last third of the night is left, and He says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will ask Me for forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’” Narrated by al-Bukhari 1145 · Muslim 758
Prayer Times – London
Duha Prayer
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen defined it as being from a quarter of an hour after the sun has risen until ten minutes before Zuhr prayer. Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/122
The best time for Duha prayer
“It is better to pray Duha prayer after the sun’s heat has become intense, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: ‘It is preferable to offer Duha prayer when the sun’s heat has become so intense that even the young of the camels feel it.’” Narrated by Muslim, 748 (Ibn Baz: Majmu’ Fatawa, 11/395)
The scholars defined this as being when one quarter of the day has passed, i.e., halfway between sunrise and Zuhr prayer. (See Al-Majmu’ by al-Nawawi, 4/36, Al-Mawsu’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 27/224)
How many rak‘ahs
Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
“The minimum – for Duha – is two rak‘ahs, and there is no maximum number. But the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed two and four rak‘ahs, and on the day of the conquest of Makkah he prayed Duha with eight rak‘ahs, on the day on which Allah granted him the conquest of Makkah. So this matter is broad in scope. Whether a person prays eight or ten or twelve rak‘ahs, or more than that, or less, there is nothing wrong with it, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The (Sunnah) prayers of the night and day are two (rak‘ahs) by two.” The Sunnah is to pray two by two, saying the salam after each two rak‘ahs.” (Majmu‘ Fatawa Ibn Baz, 11/389)
Note: Nafl (supererogatory) prayers are to be offered two rak‘ahs by two, whether that nafl prayer is offered by night or by day.
So 4 rak‘ahs would be prayed with 2 prayers of 2 rak‘ahs each.
Common Questions
Why does this end time differ from other apps?
Many apps treat Isha as lasting right through until Fajr. The hadith of the Prophet (ﷺ) states that Isha’s time is “until half of the night has passed” – the true midpoint between Maghrib and the following Fajr. This site shows that midpoint, calculated fresh each night. The evidence is collected under “Further Evidence” above.
What if I haven’t prayed by the midpoint?
Pray it immediately. The scholars describe the time after the midpoint as a time of pressing need rather than choice: the prayer still counts, but one should not deliberately delay it that far. See the words of Shaykh Ibn Baz in the Further Evidence section.
Do the times change when the clocks change?
Yes, and the site accounts for it properly. On the night the clocks go back the night really is an hour longer, and on the night they go forward it is an hour shorter. The midpoint is worked out from the true length of the night, not from the clock face.
Which timetable are the times taken from?
The London Unified Prayer Timetable. Tonight’s Maghrib and tomorrow morning’s Fajr are taken from it, and the midpoint between them is calculated to the minute.