Short backgrounds on daily prayer and worship times across the faiths listed on this site.
Prayer names open today's times for that faith so you can see when they are scheduled.
Abhijit muhurta is a midday interval around solar noon often treated as auspicious for beginning work or worship when other muhurtas are unclear. The listing is a point about twenty-four minutes before solar noon, not the full window. Astrological almanacs differ on length and use. Confirm with a trusted panchanga or temple priest.
Alot haShachar is dawn: the beginning of the halachic day for some fasts and early practices, not a required synagogue service. Definitions use degrees below the horizon or fixed minutes, so communities disagree on the minute. This row is a time limit / zman, not a named tefillah. Ask your rabbi which calculation you should use.
Amrit vela is the early-morning period many Sikhs use for Nitnem and simran, before sunrise. The listing is about ninety minutes before sunrise as a simple marker, not a single mandated minute. Gurdwaras may hold an early diwan. Follow the program of your sangat.
Asr is the afternoon salah. Standard vs Hanafi shadow-length rules change the start time. This site follows the method of our published source (or a simple midpoint fallback). It is a required daily prayer. Confirm whether your community uses the standard or Hanafi Asr.
Brahma muhurta is an early-morning window traditionally used for spiritual practice, study, or puja, ending around sunrise. This site lists a point about ninety-six minutes before sunrise as a simple marker, not the full muhurta span. Exact definitions vary by region and panchanga. Local temples and family custom remain the authority.
Chatzot is midday, halfway between sunrise and sunset in the seasonal-hour system used here. It matters for some fasts, for the latest morning amidah in some views, and as a midday point for study or recitation. It is a zman, not a required service. Definitions of “day” can shift the minute.
Orthodox Compline (Apodeipnon) is the after-supper office, listed about one hour after sunset. Small or Great Compline is used according to the season. It is a different book from Roman Compline. Monasteries keep it more regularly than most parishes.
Night Prayer, traditionally called Compline, is the final prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours and is normally prayed before retiring for the night. It is a brief office centered on psalms, Scripture, prayer, and trust in God's protection through the night, and may conclude with a Marian antiphon. This site places it approximately ninety minutes after sunset as a practical reference rather than a prescribed time.
Coptic Compline is the Night Prayer of the Agpeya, listed about ninety minutes after sunset. It is a closing office before sleep in the Coptic book of hours. The prayers are not the same as Roman Compline. Families and monasteries choose a practical time.
Dhuhr is the midday salah, beginning after the sun has passed its zenith. Jumuah replaces Dhuhr on Friday for those who attend the congregation. Calculation methods agree more closely at Dhuhr than at Fajr or Isha, but minutes still vary. Follow the posted time at your mosque.
Rehras Sahib is the evening Nitnem, commonly recited around sunset. The listing uses sunset as the marker. Some read it at home; gurdwaras often include it in evening diwan. The exact start follows the sangat, not this clock alone.
An evening period for meditation, chanting, recitation, or reflection. Evening practice is common in many Buddhist temples and monasteries, although its form varies considerably among traditions. It may include meditation, teachings or sacred texts, devotional chanting, and the dedication of merit. The time shown here uses sunset as a practical solar reference, not a prescribed Buddhist prayer time.
Evening Prayer (Evensong in some Anglican settings) is the principal evening office, listed at sunset. It may be choral or said. It is not the same rite as Catholic Vespers or Orthodox Vespers. Public times are those announced by the congregation.
Fajr is the dawn salah, prayed from true dawn until sunrise. The time here uses a published calculation method (or a solar fallback if that source is unavailable). Schools of thought differ on the dawn angle. The adhan and iqamah of your mosque are the practical times. Local masajid remain the authority.
Havdalah is the brief ceremony that ends Shabbat after nightfall, with wine, spices, and a flame in common practice. This site lists it on Saturday when our data source provides a time. The minute depends on how your community defines tzeit. Use the time announced by your synagogue if you need a communal standard.
The Hours (First, Third, Sixth, Ninth) are short offices in the Orthodox daily cycle. This row is a single daytime marker about two hours after sunrise, not four separate services. Cathedrals and monasteries may read them in full; parishes often abbreviate. Use the posted parish schedule.
Isha is the night salah, beginning when twilight has disappeared according to the method in use. Angles and seasonal adjustments (including high latitudes) differ. The listing is approximate. Your mosque’s timetable is the time to follow for congregation.
Morning Prayer, traditionally called Lauds, is one of the two principal hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. Through psalms, Scripture, the Benedictus, and intercessions, it consecrates the beginning of the day to God and recalls the Resurrection of Christ. This site uses sunrise as a practical solar reference. Actual prayer times vary by parish, religious community, and individual practice.
The Divine Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Orthodox Church. The time shown is a late-morning solar estimate, not a promise of when your parish celebrates. Sunday and feast liturgies are announced locally and can be much earlier or later. Always check the parish calendar.
Maghrib is the sunset salah, beginning when the sun has set. It is usually the least disputed clock time among the five. Break of fast in Ramadan follows Maghrib in most communities. Still use the mosque clock if you are praying with a congregation.
Orthodox Matins (Orthros) is the morning office of the Byzantine rite, often joined to First Hour or to the Divine Liturgy. This site lists it about thirty minutes before sunrise as a simple marker. It is not the same service as Coptic Matins or Catholic Office of Readings. Parish start times are set by the priest and typikon in use.
Coptic Matins (the Morning Prayer of the Agpeya) is prayed at the start of the day. The listing uses sunrise as a simple marker. The Agpeya hours follow a different book and rite from Byzantine Matins or the Roman Office of Readings. Parishes and monasteries set their own times. Local churches remain the authority.
The Office of Readings, historically associated with Matins, is a longer period of prayer centered on psalms, Scripture, and readings from the Church Fathers or other spiritual writers. Although traditionally connected with nighttime or early morning prayer, it may now be prayed at any hour of the day. The time shown here is an approximate early-morning reference rather than a prescribed hour.
Midday Prayer is a short noon office in some Protestant daily-prayer patterns, placed here at solar noon. It is optional in most parish life and is not a substitute for Sunday worship. Households and campuses that keep the hours choose a convenient break. Local custom varies.
Mincha Gedola is the earliest time many communities allow for the afternoon Mincha prayer, shortly after midday. It is a window opening, not a separate liturgy from Mincha. Some wait until Mincha Ketana. The listing is approximate. Your shul’s posted Mincha time is the practical hour.
Mincha Ketana is a later afternoon point (often 9.5 seasonal hours into the day) preferred by some for Mincha. It is a zman related to the Mincha service, not a second prayer with another name. Communities choose Gedola or Ketana for their public Mincha. Confirm locally.
Misheyakir is the time when there is enough light to recognize someone a short distance away, used for earliest tallit and tefillin in many opinions. It is a zman (deadline / permitted window), not a prayer service. Calculations differ. The listing is approximate for the location. Confirm with your community.
Morning Nitnem typically includes Japji Sahib and the other morning banis appointed for daily recitation. This site lists it at sunrise as an approximate time to complete the morning portion. Individuals and families keep their own pace. A gurdwara may recite these banis as part of morning diwan at a posted hour.
Morning practice is common across many Buddhist traditions and may include meditation, chanting, recitation, taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, or renewing the ethical precepts. The form varies by school, temple, and individual practice. Buddhism does not prescribe a universal prayer hour after sunrise, so the time shown here is an approximate solar reference rather than a canonical requirement.
Morning Prayer is a daily office in Anglican, Lutheran, and other Protestant books of worship, with psalms, readings, and prayer at the start of the day. The listing uses sunrise as a simple anchor. Many congregations pray it on weekdays only in small groups or privately. Your church bulletin is the authority for public times.
Netz haChama is sunrise, the preferred time for the morning Amidah according to many opinions (vatikin). It is a solar zman, not the name of the Shacharit service itself. Some pray at sunrise; others pray later within the allowed window. The clock time is calculated sunrise.
Kirtan Sohila is the night Nitnem, recited before sleep. The time shown is about ninety minutes after sunset. It is a short bani compared with the morning set. Households choose a convenient hour. Gurdwara night programs are announced locally.
Night Prayer is a brief close-of-day office in some Protestant books, listed about ninety minutes after sunset. It is often used privately before sleep. There is no single required hour across denominations. Treat this as a reminder, not a mandated service time.
A later period for meditation, chanting, or quiet reflection before the end of the day. Depending on the tradition, practitioners may reflect on their conduct, cultivate loving-kindness or compassion, recite teachings or mantras, or dedicate the merit of their practice to others. There is no universal Buddhist night prayer or prescribed hour. The time shown here is an approximate reference for personal practice.
A later evening marker about one hour after sunset, standing in for night recitation, aarti, or rest-of-day worship in some households. There is no single pan-Hindu service at this minute. Use it as a reminder that evening practice continues after sunset. Follow your temple or family timetable.
The Ninth Hour of the Agpeya is the mid-afternoon office, listed about three hours after solar noon. It recalls the Lord’s death and the confession of the centurion in Coptic usage. Treat the clock time as an approximation of the traditional ninth hour.
None is the traditional midafternoon hour of the Divine Office, historically associated with the ninth hour of the day. Together with Terce and Sext, it forms part of Daytime Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours. This site places it approximately three hours after solar noon. Actual observance and clock times vary among religious communities and individual practitioners.
Midday may be used for meditation, study, walking practice, or other forms of recollection, depending on the community. In some monastic traditions, especially Theravada, the daily meal is traditionally completed before noon. Buddhism does not establish solar noon as a universal prayer time, so this listing serves as a practical daytime reference rather than a prescribed observance.
Plag haMincha is a late-afternoon zman used in some communities for lighting candles, for an early Maariv, or for other cutoff rules. It is a time limit, not a required service. Opinions on how to calculate plag differ. Do not use this row alone for candle lighting without your community’s custom.
Prime is the First Hour of the Coptic Agpeya, associated with the beginning of daytime work. It is listed about one hour after sunrise. The prayers recall the Lord going to the vineyard and other morning themes. This is not the same as the historic Latin Prime. Confirm the parish or monastic timetable.
The Sixth Hour of the Agpeya is the midday office, placed here at solar noon. It commemorates the Crucifixion in Coptic daily prayer. It is not a Catholic or Orthodox liturgy under the same English label. Monasteries may keep it more strictly than parishes.
Sext is the traditional midday hour of the Divine Office and one of the three forms of Daytime Prayer. Its name reflects the sixth hour of the ancient day. This site places Sext at solar noon. Outside communities that observe the full sequence of hours, Catholics praying the Liturgy of the Hours may use one of the daytime hours according to the time of day.
Candle lighting on Friday is a mitzvah that begins Shabbat in the home, typically 18 minutes before sunset in many communities (other customs exist). It appears on this site on Fridays when our data source provides a time. It is not a synagogue service. Always follow your community’s posted candle-lighting time.
Shkiat haChama is sunset, a major dividing line for Shabbat, fasts, and many daily laws. It is a solar zman, not the Maariv service itself. Maariv is prayed from around this period according to custom. The clock time is calculated sunset for the location.
Sof Zman Shma is the latest time for the morning Shema according to the calculation used here. It is a deadline, not a synagogue service. Major opinions (Magen Avraham, Gra, and others) yield different minutes. If this time matters for you, follow the zmanim chart of your community, not this row alone.
Sof Zman Tfilla (often called sof zman tefillah) is the latest time for the morning Amidah in the opinion behind this listing. It is a deadline, not a named prayer. Missing it has halachic implications that depend on your posek. Use your synagogue or a trusted zmanim source when you need a ruling.
Sunrise (suryodaya) is a solar marker used for sandhya, some vratas, and temple opening, not the name of a single required puja. The time is the calculated sunrise for the location and date. Practices at dawn differ by sampradaya and household. This row is the same kind of solar listing as sunset, not an extra named liturgy.
Sunrise marks the end of the Fajr prayer window. It is a solar marker in this schedule, not a sixth salah. Some also note it for Ishraq later in the morning, which is not listed separately here. The clock time is calculated sunrise for the location.
Sunset (suryast) is a solar marker for evening sandhya, some temple aartis, and the close of daytime vratas. It is not itself a named mandatory puja. The clock time is calculated sunset for the place and date. Evening temple programs follow local custom.
The Third Hour of the Agpeya is traditionally linked to Pentecost and to the third hour of the day. The time shown is about three hours after sunrise. Coptic wording and psalms differ from Catholic Terce even though the hour name is shared. Use your community’s Agpeya schedule when you need an exact hour.
Terce is the traditional midmorning hour of the Divine Office, associated historically with the third hour of the day. It is one of the three forms of Daytime Prayer, together with Sext and None. This site places it approximately three hours after sunrise as a solar reference. Communities and individuals who observe Terce may use different clock times.
Tzeit hakochavim is nightfall, when three stars are associated with the end of the day for many laws (Shabbat end, fast end, Maariv in some views). It is a zman, not a prayer. Communities use 42 minutes, 72 minutes, degrees below the horizon, and other methods. This listing follows the nightfall value available from our data source. Follow your rabbi for a ruling.
Orthodox Vespers opens the liturgical day in Byzantine practice and is listed here at sunset. Saturday evening Great Vespers looks toward Sunday. This is not Catholic Evening Prayer or Coptic Agpeya Vespers, even when English uses the same word. The parish typikon sets the real hour.
Evening Prayer, traditionally called Vespers, is one of the two principal hours of the Liturgy of the Hours. It gives thanks for the day through psalms, Scripture, the Magnificat, and prayers of intercession. This site uses sunset as a practical solar reference. Vespers may be prayed privately or in community, with actual times determined by the parish, religious community, or individual.
Coptic Vespers (Evening Prayer of the Agpeya, often with the raising of incense in church) is listed at sunset. It belongs to the Coptic rite, not the Byzantine or Roman evening office, even when English calls all of them Vespers. Parish vespers and home Agpeya times can differ. Ask your church for its schedule.
This prayer reference covers the daily times listed on My Sacred Times. Local and regional customs can still differ. Times are approximate. If something important to your community is missing, or a description needs a correction, please write to us at info@mysacredtimes.com.
