Calculating prayer windows on a long layover
Your phone changes time zone mid-journey, and you are not sure which prayer you are in.
Calculating prayer windows on a layover takes four steps. Write your flight times in local time, find the prayer windows for the layover city on that date, mark which ones fall in the air or on the ground, and choose a place for each. You do not need to guess if you keep the two clocks side by side.
Step one: put every flight on a local clock
Write each flight with its departure and arrival in the local time of the city, not Malaysian time. The clock gap helps you convert.
- Turkey is 5 hours behind Malaysia1.
- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is 4 hours behind Malaysia2.
- Thailand is 1 hour behind Malaysia3.
- Japan is 1 hour ahead of Malaysia4.
To convert a Malaysian time to a place that is behind, subtract the gap. For a place that is ahead, add it. Use the ticket’s local times if they are printed, because that avoids the arithmetic.
Step two: find the windows for that city and date
Take a prayer timetable for the layover city on your date, not your home timetable. Write down the start and the end of each prayer, not just the start. Note the calculation method the source uses.
Our guide to prayer times in Asia compared with Malaysia explains why the clock gap alone does not tell you the window.
Step three: fill in this worksheet
Copy this into your notes and fill the blanks.
| Prayer | Window starts (local) | Window ends (local) | Where I am then | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subuh | ||||
| Zohor | ||||
| Asar | ||||
| Maghrib | ||||
| Isyak |
Under “Where I am then”, write one of three things: in the air, in the terminal, or in transit between terminals. Under “Plan”, write the prayer space you will use, or the question you will ask your ustaz.
Step four: match the windows to a place
A window in the terminal needs a prayer space. Look up the airport’s own facilities page for the terminal and note whether the space is before or after security. Our guides to Narita and Haneda and Istanbul Airport show what to record.
A window that opens in the air is a question for your own ustaz. Some travellers pray on the plane. Others plan around the flight. For the practical side of combining and shortening, see jamak and qasar planning for combining and shortening prayers while travelling, a planning aid, not a ruling.
What if the layover is overnight?
List the late-evening prayer and the early-morning one. Pray the evening prayer before you rest, set an alarm for the morning window, and pick a rest area near a prayer space. If you plan to leave the airport, read is it worth leaving the airport to visit a mosque first.
Your next step
Fill in one worksheet per layover and keep it with your boarding passes. Then add the places to the prayer-stop itinerary checklist, and see the prayer and daily pacing hub for the days after you land.
Send us your flight times and layover city, and we can help you fill in the worksheet so each prayer has a window, a place and a plan.
Common questions
Which clock should I trust on a long layover?
Trust the local clock of the airport you are standing in, and the prayer windows for that city. Your phone may update itself, but check that it did. Keep your home clock only for calling family. Write both clocks beside each flight on your itinerary before you leave.
What if a prayer window opens and closes while I am in the air?
That is a question for your ustaz, because there are different approaches. As a planning step, look at your flight ahead of time, mark the windows that fall in the air, and ask your own ustaz what to do. Then pack what you need.
Do I need a different prayer app for the layover city?
You can use one app, but set it to the layover city and date. Some apps follow your phone's location only when asked. Check the calculation method too, since a different method moves the window by a few minutes.
How do I handle an overnight layover?
List the windows that fall across the night: the last prayer of the evening, and the first of the morning. Pray the evening prayer before you sleep, set an alarm for the morning window, and choose a place to rest that is close to a prayer space.
What if my family wants to combine prayers?
Some travellers combine, and some pray each one on time. That choice is theirs and their ustaz's. For planning, our jamak and qasar guide explains how the day changes in each case, so you can schedule meals and transfers around the decision.
Sources
- Turkey is on UTC+03:00, 5 hours behind Malaysia (Malaysia is UTC+08:00). Wikipedia: List of time zones by country. Offsets exclude any daylight saving.
- the UAE is on UTC+04:00, 4 hours behind Malaysia (Malaysia is UTC+08:00). Wikipedia: List of time zones by country. Offsets exclude any daylight saving.
- Thailand is on UTC+07:00, 1 hour behind Malaysia (Malaysia is UTC+08:00). Wikipedia: List of time zones by country. Offsets exclude any daylight saving.
- Japan is on UTC+09:00, 1 hour ahead of Malaysia (Malaysia is UTC+08:00). Wikipedia: List of time zones by country. Offsets exclude any daylight saving.
Keep planning
Send us your flight times and layover city, and we can help you fill in the worksheet so each prayer has a window, a place and a plan.