Daily Salat Times Explained — The Five Vakts and the Three Bohra Sittings

The Five Vakts: When Each Namaz Becomes Due

The times of namaz are tied to the movement of the sun across the sky, just as the Quran describes prayer ‘at the two ends of the day and in the hours of the night’ (11:114) and ‘from the decline of the sun to the darkness of the night’ (17:78). In the Dawoodi Bohra tradition, as set out in Da’a’im al-Islam, the five daily vakts unfold as follows:

1. Fajr (Sihori). The time of Fajr begins at true dawn — the spreading light along the horizon — and lasts until sunrise. This is the same window during the month of Ramadan in which suhoor (sihori) is taken before the fast begins.
2. Zohr. Zohr becomes due after the sun crosses its highest point at midday and begins to decline. This moment of decline is called zawaal, and it opens the midday prayer time.
3. Asr. Asr follows in the afternoon, after the Zohr time, and continues until close to sunset.
4. Maghrib. Maghrib becomes due after the sun has set below the horizon.
5. Isha. Isha follows Maghrib in the evening and extends until nisful-layl — the midpoint of the night, roughly halfway between sunset and the next dawn.

The exact clock times shift through the year with the seasons and your location, which is why a fixed timetable is needed rather than memorised hours.

The Three Bohra Sittings: Zohrain and Maghribain

A distinctive and well-established feature of Dawoodi Bohra practice is that the five prayers are performed across three sittings in the day rather than five separate ones:

1. Fajr is prayed by itself at its own time in the morning.
2. Zohrain — Zohr and Asr are offered together in one sitting around midday and the early afternoon.
3. Maghribain — Maghrib and Isha are offered together in one sitting in the evening.

This joining (combining) of Zohr with Asr, and of Maghrib with Isha, is the normal everyday Bohra method, not only a concession for travel or hardship. Each namaz keeps its own niyyat and its own rak’at; combining means they are prayed in succession in a single sitting, within the valid time. This rhythm of morning, midday, and evening shapes the daily life of the community.

How the App Computes Times — and What Is Authoritative

The app calculates the vakts for your location using your coordinates and standard astronomical methods, giving you a helpful, convenient guide for planning your day. However, the calculated times are an aid only. In the Dawoodi Bohra community, the authoritative reference is the local relay or masjid timetable (miqaat) announced for your jamaat. Where the announced timetable differs from the app, follow the announced timetable.

Times to begin and end namaz, the precise moment of zawaal, the start of Maghrib after sunset, and the cut-off at nisful-layl can all carry small local refinements that a general calculation may not capture. This guide is a study aid to help you understand the framework; the authoritative method is the community Mansak. For anything you are unsure about — including how to combine within a sitting or which timetable to rely on — confirm the details with your aamil saheb and follow the Mansak.

See also: Rakat Counts Of Salat, Salat Al Musafir Combining, Niyyat Of Salat, How To Find The Qiblah