ISNA Prayer Times Explained

How the Islamic Society of North America's method works, why it became the default for American mosques, and how it compares with MWL, Umm al-Qura and Karachi.

Last updated: 14 November 2026

The sun 15 degrees below the horizon at dawn

ISNA in one paragraph

ISNA is the Islamic Society of North America, the largest Muslim umbrella organization in the United States and Canada. Its prayer time method sets Fajr when the sun is 15 degrees below the horizon before sunrise, and Isha when the sun is 15 degrees below the horizon after sunset. That 15/15 pair is the whole method, and it is the standard most American mosques use.

How the method works

Fajr and Isha are the two prayers defined by twilight, not by the sun being visible. Fajr begins at true dawn, when the first light appears on the horizon. Isha begins when the evening twilight has fully gone. A calculation method turns that light into a number: how far below the horizon the sun's centre must be.

ISNA's number is 15 degrees for both. A smaller angle means the sun is less far below the horizon, so Fajr comes later and Isha comes earlier than with a larger angle. The other prayers do not change with the method: Dhuhr is at solar noon, Asr is set by shadow length, Maghrib is at sunset, and Sunrise is when the sun's upper edge appears.

So the method only moves two times, Fajr and Isha. Everything else in the timetable stays the same.

Today's ISNA times: see ISNA prayer times for your city, with daylight saving handled automatically.

Why it became the standard for American mosques

Three reasons, and they are all practical.

One consistent reference. American Muslims come from South Asia, the Arab world, Turkey, Africa and everywhere else, each with the method of their home country. A single national standard stops every mosque in a city from using a different timetable, and it lets people who travel between states use the same times.
It fits North American latitudes. The 18 degree methods were set for the latitudes of the Middle East and South Asia. In the northern United States and Canada, the sun goes down slowly in summer, and at 18 degrees Fajr comes very early and Isha very late. At 15 degrees the times stay workable through the year, even in mid-June.
It is everywhere. ISNA published the method, and mosque software, phone apps and printed calendars adopted it. Once most mosques used it, it became the default simply because everyone else used it.

The angle is also defensible on its own: 15 degrees is close to the point where true dawn can be observed and evening twilight has gone, at the latitudes where most North American Muslims live.

ISNA vs MWL vs Umm al-Qura vs Karachi

Method	Fajr angle	Isha angle	Where it is used
ISNA	15°	15°	United States and Canada
Muslim World League (MWL)	18°	17°	Europe and much of the world
Umm al-Qura, Makkah	18.5°	90 min after Maghrib (120 in Ramadan)	Saudi Arabia
University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi	18°	18°	Pakistan, India, Bangladesh
Egyptian General Authority	19.5°	17.5°	Egypt and North Africa

The pattern is simple: a larger angle means the sun is further down, so Fajr is earlier and Isha is later. ISNA's 15 degrees is the shallowest angle in common use, which is why its Fajr is the latest and its Isha the earliest of the five.

Here is what that looks like in real times, worked out with our own prayer time calculator. In New York on 14 November 2026:

Method	Fajr	Isha
ISNA	05:23	17:58
MWL	05:07	18:08
Karachi	05:07	18:14
Umm al-Qura	05:04	18:09

ISNA Fajr is 16 minutes later than MWL and Karachi, and its Isha is 10 to 16 minutes earlier. The gap grows in summer. In New York on 21 June 2026, ISNA Fajr is 03:45 and Isha is 22:11, while the Karachi method gives Fajr 03:19 and Isha 22:37: a difference of 26 minutes each way. Maghrib is the same for every method, 20:31, because the method does not touch it.

Which method should you use?

United States and Canada: ISNA. It is the method your mosque almost certainly uses.
Pakistan, India, Bangladesh: Karachi (18°/18°).
Saudi Arabia: Umm al-Qura.
Europe: MWL is the common default.
Egypt and North Africa: the Egyptian method (19.5°/17.5°).

The real rule is simpler than any list: use the method your local mosque follows. If your mosque uses ISNA and your app uses MWL, your Fajr will be 16 minutes early all winter, and you will be praying alone.

What ISNA does not change

Asr. Asr depends on the school, not on the Fajr and Isha method. Standard Asr (Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali) starts when an object's shadow equals its length plus its noon shadow. Hanafi Asr starts later, when the shadow equals twice its length. Our calculator lets you pick either one.
Maghrib and Dhuhr. Maghrib is sunset and Dhuhr is solar noon, and no method changes them.
Caution minutes. Many mosques add a few minutes to the calculated times as a precaution. That is a local decision, not part of the method.
Very high latitudes. In far northern places in summer, the sun may not reach 15 degrees below the horizon at all, and no time can be worked out. Timetables there use a fallback rule. Our calculator shows no time in that case, and you should follow your local mosque.

See today's ISNA times for your city

Live ISNA prayer times for 12 US cities, with daylight saving handled automatically.

Open ISNA prayer times

Or compare every method in the prayer time calculator.

ISNA prayer times: quick answers

What is the ISNA prayer time method?

The ISNA method sets Fajr when the sun is 15 degrees below the horizon before sunrise, and Isha when the sun is 15 degrees below the horizon after sunset. It is the method of the Islamic Society of North America, and it is the standard most mosques in the United States and Canada use.

Why is ISNA Fajr later than other methods?

Because its angle is smaller. A smaller angle means the sun is less far below the horizon when Fajr begins, so Fajr comes later. In New York on 14 November 2026, ISNA Fajr is 05:23 while the MWL and Karachi methods give 05:07, a difference of 16 minutes.

Is ISNA the correct method?

It is one valid convention. Fajr and Isha are defined by twilight, and scholars in different regions judged the angle of true dawn and full darkness differently. No method is wrong on its own. For congregational prayer, follow your local mosque.

Does ISNA work in summer in the north?

Better than the 18 degree methods. At northern latitudes in summer, the sun may not go 18 degrees below the horizon at all, so Fajr and Isha cannot be worked out with those methods. With 15 degrees, ISNA gives workable times further north, which is one reason American mosques adopted it.

Which method do American mosques use?

Most use ISNA. Some use MWL or another method. The only way to be sure is to ask your mosque which method its timetable follows, and then use the same one in your app or calculator.

Does ISNA change Asr?

No. Asr depends on the school, not on the Fajr and Isha method. Standard Asr (Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali) starts when an object's shadow equals its length plus its noon shadow. Hanafi Asr starts later, when the shadow equals twice its length. The ISNA method only sets Fajr and Isha.

This guide is for education. Prayer time methods are scholarly conventions, and local mosques may add caution minutes or follow a different timetable. For congregational prayer, follow your local mosque.