Ramadan Timetable Guide: How Sehri and Iftar Times Are Calculated
Quick answer: A Ramadan timetable is built on two moments: sehri ends at Fajr, the true dawn, and iftar is at Maghrib, the moment of sunset. Countries calculate dawn using different angles of the sun below the horizon, which is why timetables differ by a few minutes — use your local mosque's timetable as your reference.
The two moments that define the fast
Every Ramadan timetable, however it is printed, rests on the Quranic boundary: eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct, then complete the fast until night (2:187). Sehri — also called suhoor or imsak in some timetables — therefore ends at Fajr, the true dawn, not at sunrise.
Iftar is simpler: it is at Maghrib, the moment the sun sets. Sunset can be observed and calculated very precisely, so iftar times are almost identical across timetables for the same city, while sehri times are where the differences appear.
Some timetables print an imsak time a few minutes before Fajr, advising you to stop eating slightly early as a precaution. That buffer is a caution, not a separate ruling; the fast itself begins at Fajr. Know which column your timetable expects you to follow.
How Fajr is calculated: the angle methods
True dawn is hard to observe from a light-polluted city, so calculation conventions estimate it by how far the sun is below the horizon. At 18 degrees, first light is calculated earlier; at 15 degrees, later. That single choice explains most of the gap between different timetables for the same town.
The main conventions include the Muslim World League method at 18 degrees, long used in the Karachi tradition as well; ISNA's 15 degrees, common in North America; Umm al-Qura in Makkah, using 18.5 degrees for Fajr (19 degrees in Ramadan) with Isha set by a fixed 90-minute interval after Maghrib in the wider calendar; Egypt's 19.5 degrees; Turkey's Diyanet calculation; and Malaysia's JAKIM method. None of this needs memorising — it explains why your app must be set to your country's convention.
Why two mosques in one city give different times
Two mosques a street apart can publish sehri times five or ten minutes apart because they follow different calculation conventions, apply different precautionary buffers, or serve communities from different traditions. Both are usually following a recognised method, not making an error.
Arguments about minutes waste the calm of Ramadan mornings. The practical rule followed by most scholars and communities is consistency: pick the timetable of your local mosque or your country's recognised authority, follow it for the whole month, and do not mix the earliest sehri end with the earliest iftar from different tables to shorten your fast.
High latitudes and places without a true dawn
At extreme latitudes in summer, the sun may never dip far enough below the horizon for true dawn to occur — the night is one long twilight. Ramadan 2027 falls in February and March, when even northern countries have a genuine dawn and sunset, so this is much less of an issue this year.
Where the problem does arise, scholars have proposed several solutions: following the times of the nearest region with a normal day, following Makkah's times, or dividing the night in fixed proportions. Communities in polar regions follow one of these under local scholarly guidance — if that is you, follow your local fatwa body rather than an app default.
Using timetables and apps well
Check three settings before Ramadan: your location is correct, the calculation method matches your country or mosque's convention, and any Hanafi or Shafi'i Asr setting is right for you if the timetable shows prayer times too. Test the app against your mosque's printed timetable for the first day and fix discrepancies early.
ZakatSuite publishes Ramadan times for 144 cities, including Karachi, London, New York, Riyadh, Dubai, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, with sehri and iftar for every day of Ramadan 2027 — expected to begin on Monday 8 February, subject to moon sighting.
A simple daily routine
Work backwards from sehri's end: set your alarm early enough to eat calmly, pray, and stop before Fajr without a last-minute rush. Many people build in ten spare minutes as their own precaution, which removes all anxiety about the exact minute.
At the other end of the day, have iftar ready before Maghrib so you can break the fast promptly at the timetable time and make dua in those valuable minutes. If you are travelling between cities or countries, switch to the local timetable of where you actually are that day.
Frequently asked questions
Why is sehri time different in different apps?
Because apps default to different Fajr calculation conventions — 18 degrees, 15 degrees, Umm al-Qura, Diyanet and others — and some add precautionary minutes. Set your app to the method used in your country and confirm it against your local mosque's Ramadan timetable, then follow that one source consistently all month.
Is imsak the same as the end of sehri?
Imsak is a precautionary time some timetables print a few minutes before Fajr, advising you to stop eating early to be safe. The fast legally begins at Fajr, true dawn. If your community's timetable uses an imsak column, follow its guidance, but understand it is a buffer, not a different start to the fast.
Which timetable should I follow if my mosque and app disagree?
Follow your local mosque or national authority's timetable. Scholars generally advise worshipping with your community on one recognised method rather than picking minutes from different tables. A difference of a few minutes between legitimate calculation methods is a known, tolerated matter — consistency matters more than hunting for the latest possible sehri.
How are times calculated where the sun barely sets?
Where true dawn does not occur, scholars propose following the nearest region with a normal day-night cycle, following Makkah, or using fixed proportions of the night. In February and March 2027 most populated places, even far north, have a real dawn and sunset, so this mainly affects polar communities, who should follow their local scholars.
Does iftar time ever differ between timetables?
Barely, because Maghrib is simply sunset, which is calculated precisely and is the same for a given location. Occasional one-minute differences come from rounding or from using slightly different locations within a large city. If you can see the horizon, sunset itself is the sign; otherwise your local timetable is fully sufficient.