The Prayer Time Methods in Germany

First, the recommendation for a quick answer

The three methods listed here vary primarily in the times for the summer months. It is highly recommended to preferably use the method of Gebetszeiten.de, as it is considered the best choice for the fasting period and is recommended year-round. In particular, the Fajr times of DITIB have built-in interpolation that is forbidden by the Muslim World League. We have nevertheless included this method and point out during this period that the times are not suitable for fasting.

For those who want to know the details:

Since in some parts of Germany the twilight, which determines the times for Fajr (dawn) and Isha (dusk), no longer ends during the summer, various methods have been developed to calculate prayer times during this period. We recognize the permission for this from a hadith of the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, regarding the appearance of the Dajjal, in which the Sahaba asked:

Messenger of Allah, how long will the Dajjal remain on earth? He (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) answered: "For forty days, one day like a year, one day like a month, and one day like a week, and the remaining days will be like your days." The Sahaba asked further: "Would the prayer that is valid for one day suffice for a day that is like a year?" Thereupon he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: "No, but you must estimate the time accordingly (and then perform the prayer)." (Bukhari)

The Absence of Celestial Phenomena

From this hadith, we realize that it is necessary to perform the prayers even when celestial phenomena no longer occur for a certain period. We also realize that no explicit method is given to us in this hadith. Because there cannot be a universal method. This becomes clearer when we compare the prayer times in Northern Europe and at the geographical poles (North and South Pole).

At the North and South Poles, in winter, there is no longer Shuruq (sunrise), Dhuhr (noon), Asr (afternoon), and Maghrib (sunset) for many months. In summer, on the other hand, there is often only Dhuhr. In Northern Europe, only Fajr and Isha no longer occur in summer. The other prayers do occur and must be performed at the time of the respective phenomenon. Therefore, the method in Europe is limited to estimating Fajr and Isha.

Estimating the Prayer Times

Since no explicit method has been handed down to us from the Sunnah, this task was left to future generations. Now it is possible to develop methods that best suit the respective time period and location. These methods should imitate the prayer times as realistically as possible. It would be inappropriate to say that we set Isha 10 minutes after Maghrib just because our Maghrib is already very late. This method would be poor since 10 minutes is not always enough to pray Maghrib, and there is no place on earth where Isha begins after such a short time. However, one could say that Isha is set particularly late so that it can be prayed shortly before Fajr. But this would also lead to problems if, for example, there was not enough time during Ramadan for the Tarawih prayer or Suhoor. And there is also no place on earth where Isha begins so shortly before Fajr. Therefore, it is desirable that the times are in relation to each other. If, for example, the period between Maghrib and Isha is always shorter than the period between Fajr and Shuruq, this should also be taken into account in the estimation.

The estimates should also consider the well-being of the people. A method that unnecessarily shortens sleep and can only be practiced by a few people would not be desirable. Islam is for all people, and this should also be considered in the estimates.

In summary:

The estimates should mimic actual conditions as closely as possible and be practical for all Muslims to implement.

Assessment of the Methods in Germany

Below is an assessment of the methods in Germany based on the above-mentioned recommendations. It should be emphasized that there are no explicitly right or wrong methods in this matter. It is certainly desirable to fulfill all criteria, but failing to do so would not necessarily invalidate the individual methods.

However, adding buffer minutes to obscure the transition from normal time to the estimate is not valid. Both IZ-Aachen and Diyanet use such buffer minutes in their lists and artificially change the prayer times for about two weeks before and after the estimation period. As a result, these lists contain invalid times for about two weeks each in spring and autumn.

The Method of Gebetszeiten.de

Originally published by the Muslim World League (MWL), it is based on the relative annual average of a location's prayer times. This method represents an improvement over the old method from 1986, which used the value of a location in Northern Italy. However, this method was never officially applied. Not because it was bad, but because it was not practical in its original form. The times for Isha and Fajr were artificially kept close to each other in the middle of the night by adding buffer minutes to make the list look more appealing. However, this ignored the fact that it is a burden for most people and does not correspond to realistic conditions. By removing the buffer minutes, these errors were fixed, and the method now fulfills all three recommendations:

The times are in realistic relations to each other.
They have a realistic duration.
They represent a lesser burden for the people.

The MWL Method from 1986-2007

This method was confirmed by renowned scholars such as Sheikh Ibn Baz, Sheikh al-Fawzan, Sheikh Uthaymeen, and Sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd. It uses the percentage of the night length of the 45th latitude to estimate the prayer times for latitudes from 48.6 to 66.6. Although it is a great method, it can feel unnatural to pray according to the relative time of Milan in Italy. However, the method serves its purpose and leads to times with realistic relations and durations. Yet, it can be perceived as a burden that Isha and Fajr arrive quite late or early compared to other methods.

In summary:

The times are in realistic relations to each other.
They have a realistic duration.
However, they represent a burden for a larger number of people.

The Unified Prayer Times for Germany

Since 2014, communities of Turkish, Arab, and Balkan descent have joined together in commissions to unify prayer times in Germany. In 2022, the prayer times for 2023 were officially announced. Unfortunately, the results did not prove to be completely unified. The implementation of the methods differs between the Turkish and Arab communities, so one can rather speak of a unification within the Turkish communities. Nevertheless, this represents a major step forward, as some communities had provided invalid times for the Fajr prayer for decades up to that point.

Fundamental Inaccuracies of the Unified Prayer Times

The method is based on the Sharia division of the night into thirds, where one third is added to the Maghrib time to determine the Isha time, and one third is subtracted from the Shuruq time to obtain the Fajr time. The problem, however, is that the times calculated by this method are subject to certain fluctuations. The calculation of the night length is based on a specific day of the year as a reference, which can shift if the coordinates of the location deviate slightly. In addition, the calculation occurs in a period when inaccuracy increases. Therefore, applying this method with minor deviations in coordinates can shift the prayer times for the summer by 5-10 minutes. The result would be different prayer times in one and the same city. Also, different developers who want to integrate the method into their websites or apps can no longer guarantee that they generate the same times. These apps would then often have different times and would not be considered authentic, even though the inaccuracy lies within the method itself. This is possibly the reason why the times can only be downloaded for specific locations via a web service.

The Unified Prayer Times of IZ-Aachen

The prayer times of IZ-Aachen are also based on dividing the night into thirds, but they yield moderate times that represent a relief compared to the previous method. By dividing the night into thirds, the time spans from Maghrib to Isha and from Fajr to Shuruq become equally long. As a result, however, the relative times no longer correspond to reality. Furthermore, the relations of the times to each other are no longer based on the actual times, but on dividing the night into thirds on a specific day of the year.

In summary:

The prayer times are not in natural relations to each other and have a built-in inaccuracy.
They do not have natural lengths.
They represent a lesser burden for the people.

The Unified Prayer Times of Diyanet

The times of Diyanet are also based on dividing the night into thirds, but the Fajr time was set later, so it can no longer be called a division into thirds. Perhaps this deviation was introduced to further ease the prayer times, even though they had already committed to dividing into thirds and had to make a compromise. The result is times that offer relief to Muslims. Due to dividing the night into thirds, however, the times are not in natural relations to each other, and the delay of the Fajr time creates a disadvantage, as the period from Fajr to Shuruq is now shorter than the period from Maghrib to Isha. This method thus generates easier times than those of IZ-Aachen but accepts a distortion of the relations.

In summary:

The prayer times are not in natural relations to each other and have a built-in inaccuracy.
They do not have natural lengths.
They represent a much lesser burden for the people.