The Prescribed Prayer: Chapter Two (cont.)

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THE USE OF THE PRAYER SCHEDULE (PRAYER TIME TABLE)

The above table is a sample of the schedule for five daily prayers which is widely used in North America. One, however, should notice the following:

1. The second column, Shuruuq, is not an extra prayer, it is only computed to show the time of sunrise.

2. One should also note that the Schedule computed by Muslim Student Association of United States and Canada, which is widely used here, is based upon the sun's position. The times vary slightly from year to year, returning to almost the same value every four years. The accumulated error over the years is very small, to the extent that the present schedule will remain accurate to within about two minutes for the rest of this century.

3. It is preferable to use a schedule which is specially computed for one's own location. If the only available schedule is that for a neighboring city (within a distance of about one hundred miles), then correction should be made for the difference in local time. One should note that for each degree of longitude east of the longitude stated in the schedule, subtract four minutes from the tabulated time; for each degree west, add four minutes. Time may still be in error due to the difference in latitude. In the United States, this error averages about six minutes per degree of latitude at Subh/Fajr and Ishaa during summer, and is less for other prayer hours or other seasons.

4. The adjustment for Daylight Saving Time (whenever it is in force) has already been made for the months of May through October. It is only in the last week of April and October that a one-hour change has to be made in the tabulated times. In some schedules there is a note alerting the user about the need to make this change.1

1. Dr. Kamel Abdali Prayer Schedules for North America, 1978, published by M.S.A.

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