What the shadow factors mean
The noon shadow is part of both calculations. If a one-metre vertical object casts a 0.4-metre shadow at solar noon, the factor-one threshold is 1.4 metres and the factor-two threshold is 2.4 metres. Omitting that initial shadow would produce a different calculation.
SalahTable labels factor one “Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali” and factor two “Hanafi”. These labels describe the calculation options shown by the tool; they are not a ruling about an individual's practice. Ask your mosque or a qualified teacher if you need guidance on which convention to follow.
Why there is no fixed offset
The time needed for a shadow to grow between those two thresholds changes with the sun's path. Adding the same number of minutes to every Shafi‘i Asr time will therefore fail across different seasons and locations.
Four cities across four dates in 2027
The 16 examples below use each country's default method from our methodology. Within each row the date, coordinates and method are identical; only the Asr convention changes. The sampled differences range from 30 to 81 minutes. This range describes these examples, not every city or day.
| City / time zone | Date | Shafi‘i, Maliki, Hanbali | Hanafi | Hanafi later by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 March 2027 | 4:06 PM | 5:02 PM | 56 min |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 June 2027 | 3:55 PM | 5:16 PM | 81 min |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 September 2027 | 3:51 PM | 4:48 PM | 57 min |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 December 2027 | 3:28 PM | 4:12 PM | 44 min |
| London Europe/London | 21 March 2027 | 3:27 PM | 4:17 PM | 50 min |
| London Europe/London | 21 June 2027 | 5:25 PM | 6:40 PM | 75 min |
| London Europe/London | 21 September 2027 | 4:12 PM | 5:03 PM | 51 min |
| London Europe/London | 21 December 2027 | 1:37 PM | 2:07 PM | 30 min |
| New York America/New_York | 21 March 2027 | 4:30 PM | 5:21 PM | 51 min |
| New York America/New_York | 21 June 2027 | 4:58 PM | 6:12 PM | 74 min |
| New York America/New_York | 21 September 2027 | 4:15 PM | 5:07 PM | 52 min |
| New York America/New_York | 21 December 2027 | 2:14 PM | 2:51 PM | 37 min |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 March 2027 | 4:15 PM | 5:27 PM | 72 min |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 June 2027 | 4:33 PM | 5:30 PM | 57 min |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 September 2027 | 3:59 PM | 5:12 PM | 73 min |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 December 2027 | 4:28 PM | 5:24 PM | 56 min |
How to use this on a city page
Open your city's timetable to see both Asr starts. The default differs by country: for example, Karachi opens with Hanafi Asr, while London opens with factor-one Asr. The method selector lets you change the Asr selection independently of the main calculation method.
The selected Asr start is used in the main timetable and countdown. A mosque's iqamah can be later than either calculated start, so the comparison here does not tell you when its congregation begins.
Does changing Asr change the rest of the day?
Changing only the Asr convention leaves the other prayer calculations unchanged. Changing the main method is a separate action and may alter other times. When comparing two apps, check both settings rather than assuming a method name determines the Asr convention.
Reproducing the comparison
For each listed city and date, SalahTable calculates the day twice using the same method, once for each shadow factor. Times are rounded by the library and formatted in the listed IANA time zone, including its daylight-saving rules. The difference column subtracts the two computed instants in minutes. These are calculated examples, not field observations or mosque schedules.