article on Fajar and Isha observations by Dr ... - Hizbul Ulama UK

Isha and Fajr Observations June 29-July 19, 2005
Omar Afzal
During our recent stay in Tracy, CA (Lat. 37.45 N, Long. 121.27 W) from June 29 to July
20, 2005 I, along with 3-5 adults carefully observed the Shafaq al-Ahmar and Shafaq al-
Abyad at both ends of the day.
Atmospheric conditions
Tracy is a small town located approx. 60 miles east of San Francisco in Joaquin valley,
east of Livermore. The horizon is flat for nearly 40 miles on both eastern and western
sides with no obstacle to hinder our observation. The climate is very similar to that of
desert (Medina in Arabia), and humidity was very low.
During our stay there were no rains, or clouds during the whole period. For lack of
moisture in the atmosphere, the twilight changed rapidly from yellowish gray to white
except in two mornings when very faint redness was also noticeable for 8-10 minutes.
We were surprised that the redness often associated with Shafaq al-Ahmar (at Maghrib)
and Bayaad al-Mustateel (at Fajr) was almost non-existent in dry desert climate.
Yellowish white changed to white, then darkness of night took over in the evening and
the cycle reversed in the morning.
Methodology
We tried to reach an open space two hours before sunrise and a few minutes before the
sunset. Only one person kept a watch and paper to note down the timings of the
observations and comments from observers.
Data
The calculated data for Tracy, CA shows the following for July 2005:
Date Sunrise Sunset Fajr at 18 Fajr at 15 Isha at 15 Isha at18
7/1/05 5:48am 8:32pm 3:54am 4:17am 10:03pm 10:26pm
7/7/05 5:51 8:30 3:58 4:21 10:00 10:23
7/19/05 5:59 8:25 4:11 4:32 9:52 10:13
Observations
We made our observations from July 1 till July 19, 2005. The results were
carefully noted every day. Below we have summarized the results of our observations for
three days only as the results were consistent for the remaining sixteen days. Minor
variations did not exceed 2-4 minutes.
The phenomenon of false dawn (Subh al-Kadhib) was not observed on any of the
twenty mornings.
For practical reasons, we defined Fajr 1 as when a faint white threadlike light first
appeared on the lower eastern horizon. Fajr 2 was when the light spread and the facial

features of a person standing some 10-12 feet away could be recognized. Fajr 3
(Tabayyan) followed 8-10 minutes later when the light spread over the entire eastern
horizon and is not tabulated.
In the evening, bright light was quite intense after sunset and covered the entire
western horizon. It lost its intensity 20-25 minutes later, and narrowed until a yellowish
threadlike streak with a peak at the center remained for the next 12-15.(This is what we
put as Isha 1.) Because of lack of moisture and dust p<strong>article</strong>s no redness was ever
observed. The yellowish narrow white streak on the lowest horizon disappeared
completely at Isha 2, making the entire sky dark.
One of us also first observed a very thin Jumada II crescent moon on July 7, at
8:47 pm some 12 minutes after the sunset in an extremely clear sky. Others were able to
see it three to four minutes later.
Date Sunrise Fajr1 Fajr 2 Sunset Isha 1 Isha 2
7/1/05 5:48am 4:54am 5:17am 8:32 9:12pm 9:29pm
7/7/05 5:51 4:56 5:21 8:30 9:11 9:27
7/19/05 5:59 5:02 5:23 8:25 9:08 9:19
Two observers who never participated earlier in naked-eye observations of the
phenomenon observed Fajr 1 some 3-5 minutes later. Similarly, for Isha 2, they claimed
the sky was dark a few minutes earlier.
In the last week of the observational period we also made rough sketches of the sky
brightness at various stages.
Conclusions
Our observations confirmed that in Medina during the time of the earliest Islamic
community the quantifying process for the prayer schedule was dependent on
atmospheric conditions at Fajr and ‘Utama for Isha.
In Medina, a small desert town, lack of moisture in the atmosphere made twilights
shorter. Hence Fajr prayers were held closer to sunrise and Isha closer to the sunset. The
Qur’anic use of the two terms and practices reported in Ahadith (Afzal et. al 1993) point
in the same direction.
Later, Muslim time-keepers (Muwaqqiteen) in Syria tried to use Greek astronomical
terms for Fajr and Isha. Ultimately, various Fiqh positions tied Fajr and Isha in later half
of the twentieth century to the sun’s depression in higher latitudes. The variation is the
length of Shafaq (twilight) is enormous from 39 minutes to two and half hours in
temperate climates and very unusual above 48 degrees latitudes.
A summary of our earlier research on the topic of Isha and Fajr times is reproduced
below. Our observations at Tracy, California strongly support our conclusions.
Conclusions

Ludhianvi’s discussion of Shafaq and Subh al-Sadiq were limited to the evaluation of
Fiqh arguments, and a few naked eye observations. He did not have access to the data
accumulated between 1950s and 1990s through physical observations and instrumental
measurements. Meinel included dozens of colored photographs of the evening sky used
in his research. Rosenberg’s “Twilight” contains very valuable data. Astronomical
journals have published hundreds of detailed photographs of twilights, Zodiacal lights,
and other related phenomena that we used in this study. We have present the results of
our findings for the consideration of the Ummah.
There is a consensus that Fajr al-Mustatir/Imsak begins at Subh Sadiq/Fajr Thani, and
Isha begins when Shafaq disappears. From the discussions presented in the paper it is
quite obvious that Subh al-Sadiq and end of Shafaq cannot be tied to the astronomical
twilight (108° sun's depression from zenith, technical “night”). A more uniform global
prayer schedule with an exceptionally small ‘exempt’ region may be prepared,
without violating the guidelines of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, if 13.8 degrees for
Fajr and 8-10 degrees sun’s azimuth distance for Isha is accepted as the global
norm. We argue that:
1. Islam's universality and 'ease' require a broader interpretation of Fajr and
Shafaq, instead of a narrow and stringent reading.
2. Prayer schedules prepared on the basis of 108°/105° create undue hardship
and result in very large "exempt" zones. All proposed solutions lack the
consistency.
3. Physical observations and instrumental measurements both support this
position.
Technically the astronomical twilight (18 degrees) is "night". Instrumental
measurements taken over an extensive period conclude that the intensity of light between
103.5° to 108° remains almost the same. The beginning of the red glow (Shafaq), spread
over the entire horizon, and slowly narrowing to a narrow band appears to be closest to
the words and intent of the Qur'an, the Sunnah, the practices of the Companions, and the
position of most of Fuqaha. Instrumental measurements show that this level of
illumination for Fajr and Isha may be reached in 40-60 minutes at almost all places of the
globe where this phenomenon occurs daily. If the Shafaq is broadly defined then in
tropical regions the delay is another 10-15 minutes. But in higher latitudes the whiteness
does not diminish for hours long after the sun has reached 18 degrees below the horizon.
For months, the level of illumination in areas above 40 degree northern latitudes does not
reach to the level of darkness at night (108°) in temperate climates.
Islam is for all mankind living in all corners of the world and for all times. It came to
make human life easy and harmonious. Allah's intent is never to burden humans with
cruel and stringent rules that choke normal human activities. Civil night starts/ends at
96° when normal outside activities cease/begin without the help of artificial light. In
Medinah at the time of Messenger (SAW) this appears to be the natural limit of the daily
activities. Also Yatabayyana of the Qur'an seems closer to 96°, because at 102° the sea
horizon, in general, is not visible and it is too dark for the observation of an altitude with
reference to the horizon.

Allah in His infinite mercy has made matters easy for us and His Messenger (SAW) and
Sahaba exemplified His guidelines. The Fuqaha did not specify 108° for Fajr and Isha.
If some Ulama have lately accepted the astronomical twilight (108°) as limits of Fajr and
Isha, because of their cautious attitude, and limited knowledge of physical realities we do
not have to close our eyes, and reject very strong arguments which point in the other
direction.
By inflicting hardship to our bodies we are not pleasing Allah a little more. Islam is a
religion of Qist (middle) and not of extremes. In the tropical climate a difference of 2.5°
is equivalent to only 12-15 minutes, but in higher latitudes it means adding 25-60 minutes
at both ends of the day and night. For London and Glasgow, the days become too long.
Asking a 10-12year old child or a 60-65 year old person, or those who earn their living in
jobs requiring physical labor, to fast 17-22 hours does not appear to be the intent of
Islam.We would like to propose the following quantification of Fajr and Shafaq, in the
light of convergence of the Qur'an, Sunnah, Fiqh, and the instrumental measurements of
the intensity of light.
A word of caution may be helpful to the readers regarding our attempt to reconcile the
textual readings of the Qur'an and Ahadith as well as opinions (Fatawa) of the Fuqaha
with the scientific overview on a subject matter that eluded precise description for
centuries. The thread that ties various sections of this paper together is our earnest desire
to relate our growing awareness of the global aspect of sky's brightness with the prayer
times. In various parts of the world the sky's brightness is drastically different from the
tropical climates where most of the Muslims were concentrated for the last 14 centuries.
In tropical climate it changes very rapidly, and the Ulama being overcautious pushed
Fajr and Isha to the extreme limits of the calculated night. Most of the attempts during
the last 50 years or so were unable to achieve a consensus because the observations in
various studies were not consistent. Not only they lacked any scientific validity but were
very limited and unreliable. Almost all of them were made to justify a position rather
than opting for a position based on them.
Sun from zenith Arabic terminology Phenomenon
Morning 103.5° to 108° Lail Night
103.5° Fajr al-Mustatil False dawn
100° to 102° Fajr al-Mustatir True dawn
98° Isfar
90.833° Tulu' Shams, Shurooq Sunrise
Evening 90.833° Ghuroob Shams, Maghrib Sunset
98° Shafaq Ahmer (Isha Shafi'i) Redness ends
100° to 102° Shafaq Abyad (Isha Hanafi) Whiteness ends
103.5° to 108° Lail Night
These sun's positions may be correlated graphically in Figure 4 which is a reproduction
of Figure 3 with the above proposals.

Figure 4
Brightness of the twilight sky at the zenith as a function of
the sun's zenith angle for measurements on 32 evenings,
with l = 0.63 m.
This paper is written for the Ulama, and for the inquisitive people. We hope that in the
spirit of this paper all of our readers will be open, and find a pleasant way to learn
fascinating facts of nature which the Islamic traditions incorporated in the day to day life
of the Muslims. Urdu and Arabic versions of this paper will Insha-Allah, be available
soon. Please convey your comments and opinions to CFCO 1069 Ellis Hollow Rd. Ithaca
NY 14850 USA or oa12@cornell.edu
Appendix 1
Zodiacal lights
The Gazette (Montreal, Quebec) March 1, 2003 Saturday ANDREW S. FAZEKAS 810 words
HEADLINE: Seeing an elusive light in spring: Zodiacal light can look like the lights of a
far-off city just over a dark horizon in the countryside. But this light is more ethereal;
it is caused by sunlight reflecting off cosmic dust between the planets
For a few weeks each year, keen-eyed skywatchers have a chance to glimpse something
special. It is something so elusive that it has become more of a myth than reality in today's
light-polluted world. When winter's grip begins to lessen and the days get longer, it is time to
sweep the heavens for a celestial spectacle known as the zodiacal light.
Around springtime, it occurs as a strange, diffuse cone of light reaching up from the western
horizon just after sunset, looking a bit like the lights of a far-off city just over the horizon.
(In fall, it can be seen just before dawn in the east.)
Many of us have probably mistaken this eerie faint glow for just that while driving westward
after the sun has gone down. Unlike the famous aurora displays formed in Earth's upper
atmosphere or the band of the Milky Way located light years away, the source of the
zodiacal light lies in our solar system, between the planets.
Orbiting the sun are billions of tiny sub-millimetre-size dust p<strong>article</strong>s that reflect and scatter
sunlight in such a way that they are visible in our sky - much as we see household dust
floating in front of a sunny window. Concentrated in the inner solar system, most of this
space debris is being constantly generated from asteroid collisions and the leftovers from
comets as their orbits have taken them around the sun.
In observing zodiacal light, skywatchers are actually witnessing the ancient rubble from the
birth of our solar system more than 4.5 billion years ago.
Like a delicate necklace surrounding the sun, this cosmic dust cloud that makes up zodiacal
light lies mostly along the flat disk of the solar system. The ancient Greek astronomers took
notice of a band of 12 constellations that are on the same plane as the solar system and are
seen from Earth as our planet orbits the sun. They called these constellations the zodiac,
meaning "circle" in Greek. This is the origin of the famous zodiac signs used in horoscopes.
Zodiacal light can be seen looming in the west along the same plane as the planets and the

zodiac constellations, hence its name. Its subtle radiance is most noticeable around the
spring and fall equinoxes.
Known and sometimes feared since ancient times, zodiacal light was recorded by many
cultures. The Greek philosopher Aristotle concluded that these misty patches of lights in the
heavens were caused by far-off volcanic eruptions. First-century Romans likened them to the
glows of distant unseen fires.
In the 16th century, they were a more ominous association for the Aztec Empire and its ruler,
Montezuma. The king gave up his empire to Cortes and his army of Spanish conquistadors in
1519, in part because of the strange appearance of the ghostly pyramid-shaped light that
Montezuma described as a threatening "vast flood of sparkling fire."
The night skies aren't totally dark. At times, sunlight or moonlight reflects off high-altitude
clouds, causing a degree of brightness in the starry skies. And dark locations still offer
glorious views of a band of light running across the overhead sky. This is actually the light
from billions of stars that make up our own Milky Way galaxy.
But in fact, about 40 per cent of the overall light in the night sky can be attributed to this
zodiacal dust cloud. Sometimes known as the "afterglow of the day," it is often confused
with twilight, which uniformly encompasses most of the western sky.
Few people today have consciously observed this astronomical phenomenon, mainly because
it is necessary to be well away from city lights to have a chance to see it. At best, zodiacal
light can equal the brightness of the Milky Way, so even the slightest hint of haze in the
atmosphere or light pollution can hide it from view. Despite its faintness, it can take up a
surprisingly big piece of the sky, equivalent to about two fists stacked on top of each other,
held at arm's length.
March is the best time of the year to look for the evening zodiacal light. Choose a really
dark site about an hour after sunset by escaping the confines of the city and suburbs and
heading out to the country, particularly on a moonless night. Bearing in mind that the display
is named for the zodiac, at this time of the year it will be highlighting the part of the sky
occupied by the constellations Pisces, Aries and Taurus.
Next time you are out on a moonless March night, try to glimpse the elusive glow of the
zodiacal light. For those who are less adventurous, just think of the zodiacal light the next
time you dust around the home, and thank your lucky stars you don't have to clean the solar
system - it's full of dust!
Andrew S. Fazekas is teaching an introductory stargazing course on Tuesday evenings at
Vanier College starting March 25. For more information, call (514) 744-7000 or visit
www.andrewfazekas.com skyfeedback@hotmail.com
GRAPHIC: Color Photo: DOMINIC CANTIN, FREELANCE; A faint cone-shaped glow of
zodiacal light lights the western evening sky in March. Dominic Cantin, an amateur
astronomer from Quebec City, took the photo above with a 35-mm camera and wide-angle
lens. For a three-minute exposure, Cantin used a motor (hence the angled horizon) to
compensate for the Earth's rotation.
--
Criteria for Correct time of Subh e Sadiq -- Consensus of Muftian Kiram of Pakistan
English rendering of the <strong>article</strong> published in the daily Nawai Waqt on 17.08.2009
By: Engr Malik Bashir Ahmad Bagvi, Islamabad
(English version of the <strong>article</strong> published in daily Nawai Waqt, Islamabad dated 17.08.2009)
1. Soon we will be starting fasting in the month of Ramadan. In this context , through your esteemed paper
I want to draw the attention of those publishing Sehr wa Iftartime schedule and the public at large, towards

an important point According to authentic Aahadis, Subhe Sadiq (True dawn) is the light appearing
before sunrise, which is spread horizontally from south to north. Another light appearing just before Subhe
sadiq has also been mentioned with the same authenticity, which is called Subhe kazib (false dawn). The
Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: Do not care for the Subh e Kazib. Continue your sehri till Subhe Sadiq, because
closing fast late is preferable, while Fajr prayers must be offered after Subh e Sadiq
2. Subh e Kazib is a pyramid shaped vertical light. According to the information received from the
Pakistan Navy, from midnight onward, there is complete darkness till before Fajr time given in the prayer
time schedule in use in Pakistan, .Consequently the Fajr time given in these charts is in fact the time of
Subh e Kazib. Every publication bears the name of its author, whereas the man behind to introduce this
chart in Pakistan has no trace in the back history. However one or two odd persons (not ulema) came
forward to defend it by arguing that baruji roshani (zodiacal light), appearing long before sunrise was the
subhe kazib, which the scientists name as false dawn
3. According to Almanac, (a famous book providing astronomical data), zodiacal
light appears only for two months in a year--- mid of Aug to mid of Oct, and that too long before
sunrise/Subhe Sadiq. When checked by the criteria provided by the relevant Ahadis, from Shari'ah view
point, zodiacal light has nothing to do with Subh e Kazib. The Shari'ah requirement is that, Subh e Kazib
a. Should appear on the eastern horizon every day
b. It should be very close to Subh e Sadiq
Hence he time given in the current charts is in fact the 1st regularl light after mid night and so it is the
Subh e kazib. According to Shami (a famous book of Fiqh), there is an angular vertical distance of 3
degrees between Subh e Sadiq and Subh e Kazib. In Pakistan this corresponds to a time gap of 16-20
minutes from Karachi (25N LAT) to Peshawar (24N LAT), during the whole year.
4. In this context we approached ten (10) top ranking darul ifta, and they categorically and without
exception rejected the idea of accepting zodiacal light as the Subh e Kazib, and thus confirmed that the
Fajr time in these charts is in fact the time of Subh e Kazib and that the Subh e Sadiq will appear later by
some minutes. These darul ifta are:
1. Darul Olum Karachi
2. Mufti Munibur Rahman, Chairman Central Roet e Halal Committee
3. Jamia Usmania, Peshawar
4. Darul Olum Haqqania, Akora Khatak
5. Jamia Faruqia, Karachi
6. Jamia tur rasheed, Karachi
7. Darul Olum Ta'leem ul Quran, Rawalpindi
8. Jamia faridia, Islamabad
9. Jamia Islamia Banauri Town, Karachi
10. Imdad ul Olum Karachi
All these fatawa are contained in the prayer chart for Islamabad/ Rawalpindi available from Jamae
Masjid Bilal Habshi,Ghazi Abad, Dhok Syedan, Rawalpindi (mobile: 0346 5282 460/ 0300 5391 850)
5. Thirty-two eminent ulama kiram of Rawalpndi and Islamabad have shown their full confidence
on these fatawa. Some of these are:
a. Jamia Rizvia Zia ul Olum Rawalpindi-Maulana Ishaq Zafar
b. Markazi Jamae Masjid Rawalpindi- Divisional Khatib Maulana Ghulam Ali Qamar
c. Jamia Furqania Rawalpindi- Maulana Abdul Majid Hazarvi
d. Masjid Tauhid Ahle Hadis Islamabad-Dr Suhail Hasan
e. Jamae Masjid Mo'tamir Alam e Islami Islamabad- Qazi Zain ul Abedin
6. Just as a prayer is invalid without wuzu, it is invalid if offered before the prescribed time.
Therefore if the media including Radio Pakistan and PTV announce the sehr wa iftar time as per schedule
prepared by me (based on 15 deg depression of sun below horizon for Fajr), it will help people save their
farz prayer from going waste, in the sacred month of Ramadan, when the tendency is to offer Fajr prayer

the earliest after closing sehri. The Survey of Pakistan and the MET dept of Pakistan have confirmed that
my chart is full in agreement with the fatawa.
7. According to Imam Abu Yusuf, azan for Fajr can be called before time. Mufti Rashid Ahmad
Ludhianvi had instructed the mo'azzan of his mosque to stand up one minute before time for azan, so that
one could swallow the morsel in his mouth or drink a glass of water. We have extended this interval to
three minutes to play safe for close of sehri. It takes 2-3 minutes to finish azan. And so by the time the azan
is finished, Fajr time will have started. As such, people will not be tempted to offer Sunna before time.
Similarly, women folk who are not to wait for the congregation, shall not offer farz prayers before time.
Note: a computer software in EXCEL prepared by this writer is available free of cost through emai., Using
it one can prepare sehr wa iftar/ 100-years prayer time schedule for any tow of known latitude and
longitude. Such data for more than 6,000 towns of Pakistan has already been in-built in the package.
Engr Malik Bashir Ahmad Bagvi, Islamabad 0300 5032 566