Why isn't Maghrib at the same time in Abidjan, Bouaké and Odienné? Because prayer does not follow the clock: it follows the sun.
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
"Prayer remains, for believers, an obligation at prescribed times." (meaning of the verse, An-Nisa 4:103)
Times set by the heavens
The Quran indicates the great moments of the day:
أَقِمِ الصَّلَاةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ إِلَىٰ غَسَقِ اللَّيْلِ وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ
"Perform the prayer at the decline of the sun until the darkness of the night, and also recite the Fajr recitation." (meaning of the verse, Al-Isra 17:78)
The Sunna specifies them. The angel Jibril led the Prophet ﷺ in each prayer, at the beginning and then at the end of its time, and said: "The time is between these two moments" (Sunan Abi Dawud, no. 393; Jami' at-Tirmidhi, no. 149). The hadith of Muslim (no. 612) gives the list:
| Prayer | Begins | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| Fajr | at true dawn, when light spreads across the horizon | at sunrise |
| Dhuhr | when the sun has passed its zenith | at the beginning of Asr |
| Asr | when the shadow of an object equals its length, in addition to the midday shadow | at sunset (without delaying until the yellowing) |
| Maghrib | at sunset | at the disappearance of the red afterglow |
| Isha | at the disappearance of the red afterglow | in the middle of the night (preferred), until dawn at the latest |
Pray on time
The Prophet ﷺ was asked which deed Allah loves most. He replied: « Prayer at its proper time » (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 527; Sahih Muslim, no. 85). The beginning of the time is the best; delaying without reason until the last limit is discouraged.
Why the time changes depending on the location
The sun does not rise at the same time everywhere: the further west you go, the later it rises and sets. Between Abidjan and Odienné, the difference reaches several minutes. The time also changes over the year, because the length of the day varies.
This is why a printed calendar for a single city is not valid for the whole country.
Asr according to the schools
For Asr, the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold that the time begins when the shadow equals the length of the object; the Hanafi school waits until the shadow is twice the object's length. In Côte d'Ivoire, where the Maliki school is the majority, the first rule applies.
How Dalil calculates your prayer times
Dalil calculates each prayer at the exact place where you are, based on your location or your neighborhood:
- dawn and night are set by the sun's position below the horizon, according to the Muslim World League method;
- Asr follows the Maliki rule;
- the iqama times ofiqama of your mosque, when it has provided them, are also displayed.
On WhatsApp, write horaires", or send your location. You can also receive an alert at the time of each prayer: write alerts.
If your mosque follows a schedule that differs by a few minutes, its imam is the authority for congregational prayer.