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Fajr and Isha in high latitudes
Far from the equator in summer, the sun may never sink 18° below the horizon, so the usual Fajr and Isha definitions fail. Communities solve this with agreed fallback rules.
The problem
For Fajr and Isha you need the sun to reach a given angle below the horizon. Above roughly 48° to 49° latitude in the summer months, the sun gets less than 18° below the horizon, so there is no true darkness. Above about 60° (and earlier for a shallow angle) the sun may not set at all around the solstice.
The three common rules
| Rule | How it works |
|---|---|
| Middle of the night | Fajr starts no earlier than half of the night before sunrise, and Isha no later than half a night after sunset. The night is sunset to sunrise. |
| One-seventh of the night | The night is divided into seven parts; Fajr starts one-seventh of the night before sunrise and Isha one-seventh after sunset. |
| Angle-based (twilight angle) | The night fraction used is the angle divided by 60, so an 18° angle gives 18/60 of the night. |
Sakina's default is automatic: it uses the one-seventh-of-the-night rule above 48° latitude and the angle-based rule below that. You can change the rule in Settings.
A worked example: Kyiv, spring equinox 2027
Kyiv is at 50.45° N. On 20 March 2027, sunrise is 06:02 and the Muslim World League Fajr, after applying the one-seventh rule, is 04:20. Note that the rule applies even at the equinox: with a night of about 12 hours, one seventh is about 1 hour 43 minutes, shorter than the real 18° twilight at that latitude, so the rule caps it. On the summer solstice the same method gives Fajr 03:41 and Isha 22:18.
What to do
- Follow the rule your local mosque or council uses. Many high-latitude communities have agreed one.
- If there is no local guidance, one-seventh of the night is a common, conservative choice; middle of the night is another.
- Some communities simply use the times of the nearest latitude where the angle is reachable (about 45° to 48°). Sakina uses this nearest-latitude approach when no twilight exists at all, for example in polar summer.
Check your own city
See your city's seasonal times, or compare rules in the app's Settings.
Frequently asked questions
Which rule is right?
There is no single correct rule. It is a juristic choice. Follow your local community's guidance.
Does this affect Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib?
No. Only Fajr and Isha depend on twilight.