How morning timetable labels relate to each other
Readers in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the UK often look for Ishraq, Duha (also called Chast) or Zawal alongside the five daily prayers. Understanding how they map to the columns printed on a standard timetable prevents confusion:
- Fajr: The dawn prayer start. Its window ends at Sunrise (see Fajr vs sunrise).
- Sunrise (Tulu‘ / Syuruk): The moment the upper limb of the sun reaches the horizon. This is a boundary marker on the timetable, not a prayer start.
- Ishraq and Duha (Chast): Optional morning prayer windows that begin after the sun has risen well clear of the horizon and end shortly before solar noon (istiwa / zawal).
- Dhuhr (Zuhr): The midday prayer start, placed just after the sun crosses the local meridian (solar noon).
Why timetables list Sunrise and Dhuhr rather than a single Ishraq minute
Astronomically, sunrise and solar noon are well-defined events, whereas published schedules translate “after the sun has risen by a spear's length” and “shortly before solar noon” using slightly different minute offsets or small solar altitude thresholds (typically 15 to 20 minutes after sunrise, and 5 to 10 minutes before Dhuhr).
Because communities and scholars use different precautionary buffers around sunrise and solar noon, SalahTable publishes the exact calculated Sunrise and Dhuhr boundaries on every city page rather than hardcoding one mandatory offset.
Worked morning boundaries across four cities (2027)
To illustrate how you can read an Ishraq or Duha window from a standard timetable, the table below lists calculated Fajr, Sunrise, illustrative Sunrise + 15 min and Sunrise + 20 min marks, Dhuhr, and the total elapsed time from Sunrise to Dhuhr across four seasons in 2027.
| City / time zone | Date | Fajr | Sunrise | Sunrise + 15m | Sunrise + 20m | Dhuhr | Sunrise → Dhuhr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 March 2027 | 5:20 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:50 AM | 6:55 AM | 12:40 PM | 6h 05m |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 June 2027 | 4:14 AM | 5:43 AM | 5:58 AM | 6:03 AM | 12:35 PM | 6h 52m |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 September 2027 | 5:04 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:35 AM | 6:40 AM | 12:26 PM | 6h 06m |
| Karachi Asia/Karachi | 21 December 2027 | 5:50 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:27 AM | 7:32 AM | 12:31 PM | 5h 19m |
| London Europe/London | 21 March 2027 | 4:28 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:22 AM | 12:13 PM | 6h 11m |
| London Europe/London | 21 June 2027 | 2:43 AM | 4:43 AM | 4:58 AM | 5:03 AM | 1:07 PM | 8h 24m |
| London Europe/London | 21 September 2027 | 5:11 AM | 6:44 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:04 AM | 12:59 PM | 6h 15m |
| London Europe/London | 21 December 2027 | 6:22 AM | 8:04 AM | 8:19 AM | 8:24 AM | 12:03 PM | 3h 59m |
| New York America/New_York | 21 March 2027 | 5:43 AM | 6:58 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:18 AM | 1:04 PM | 6h 06m |
| New York America/New_York | 21 June 2027 | 3:45 AM | 5:25 AM | 5:40 AM | 5:45 AM | 12:59 PM | 7h 34m |
| New York America/New_York | 21 September 2027 | 5:27 AM | 6:42 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:02 AM | 12:50 PM | 6h 08m |
| New York America/New_York | 21 December 2027 | 5:54 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:36 AM | 11:55 AM | 4h 39m |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 March 2027 | 5:52 AM | 7:09 AM | 7:24 AM | 7:29 AM | 1:13 PM | 6h 04m |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 June 2027 | 5:37 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:21 AM | 1:08 PM | 6h 07m |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 September 2027 | 5:38 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:10 AM | 7:15 AM | 12:59 PM | 6h 04m |
| Singapore Asia/Singapore | 21 December 2027 | 5:38 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:21 AM | 1:04 PM | 6h 03m |
Why the morning span changes with season and latitude
Near the equator (Singapore, 1.3° N), the span from Sunrise to Dhuhr stays close to 6 hours 3 minutes in every season. At higher latitudes (London, 51.5° N), the morning half of daylight stretches from 3h 59m in December to 8h 24m in June.
Note also that SalahTable's UK default (Moonsighting Committee) already adds 5 precautionary minutes after solar noon to its Dhuhr start, whereas other presets place Dhuhr just after solar noon (see our methodology). Check your local mosque's notes if a printed chart lists a separate zawal or makruh buffer before Dhuhr, and consult a qualified teacher for religious guidance on optional prayers.