How to Write Amounts in Words on Checks and Invoices
A guide to writing money amounts in words on checks, invoices and contracts — in English and Arabic — with cents and sub-units, the “only” format and worked examples.
Worshippers often notice that two apps show different Fajr or Isha times for the same city — sometimes by 15 or 20 minutes. Which one is right? The answer lies in each app's calculation method. This article explains how prayer times are calculated astronomically and why they vary.
Prayer times follow the sun
Islamic law ties prayer times to natural signs linked to the sun: true dawn, the sun passing its zenith, shadow length, sunset and the disappearance of twilight. Astronomical calculations translate these signs into specific sun positions relative to the horizon, then compute when the sun reaches them at your location on a given day.
- Dhuhr: just after solar noon, when the sun reaches its highest point. Precise and agreed upon.
- Maghrib: when the sun's disk has fully set. Also agreed, with small precautionary differences.
- Asr: based on shadow length, with two juristic opinions.
- Fajr and Isha: based on how far the sun is below the horizon — where the biggest differences arise.
The key: Fajr and Isha angles
True dawn is the white light spreading horizontally in the east before sunrise. It begins when the sun is a certain angle below the horizon, but scholars and authorities have estimated that angle differently based on observations in their regions:
| Authority | Fajr | Isha |
|---|---|---|
| Egyptian General Authority of Survey | 19.5° | 17.5° |
| Morocco (Ministry of Habous) | 19° | 17° |
| Umm al-Qura (Saudi Arabia) | 18.5° | 90 min after Maghrib |
| Muslim World League | 18° | 17° |
| ISNA (North America) | 15° | 15° |
Each extra degree moves Fajr earlier by roughly 4–6 minutes depending on location and season, so the gap between 15° and 19.5° can reach 25 minutes. That's why you should use the method officially adopted where you live — which our Prayer Times tool selects automatically when you choose your city.
Asr: Standard vs Hanafi
According to the majority of jurists (Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali), Asr begins when an object's shadow equals its length plus its noon shadow. In the Hanafi school it begins when the shadow is twice the length, making Hanafi Asr about 40–60 minutes later. Turkey, Pakistan and India mostly follow the Hanafi opinion, while most Arab countries follow the majority.
Precautionary minutes
Some authorities add precautionary minutes (tamkin) to astronomically calculated times to be certain the time has begun and to cover differences across large cities — for example, adding minutes to Dhuhr and Maghrib. This explains small 1–5 minute differences between apps and official timetables. In our tool you can match your mosque exactly with the manual adjustment for each prayer.
The high-latitude challenge
In northern Europe and Canada in summer, the sun may never dip far enough for twilight to disappear, so there's no astronomical Fajr or Isha. Approximation rules such as the angle-based method, one-seventh of the night or middle of the night are used instead; our tool applies the angle-based rule automatically.
What should you do?
- Choose the calculation method used in your country or by your mosque.
- Check that the time zone is correct, especially where daylight saving applies.
- If there's a small constant gap with your mosque's timetable, use manual adjustments to match it.
- When traveling, update your location — times differ even between cities in the same country.
And find the exact Qibla direction when praying somewhere new.