Prayer Times in Sandrakatsy, Madagascar

Praying in Sandrakatsy

Sandrakatsy is in the southern hemisphere, which turns the usual seasonal advice upside down. The longest days fall around the turn of the year rather than midsummer, so northern-hemisphere advice gets the season backwards for anyone here.

The last third of the night

Between Isha at 7:15 pm and Fajr at 3:48 am there are about 8 hours and 33 minutes. The final third of the night carries particular weight in the tradition, and it is measured from Isha to Fajr rather than by the clock.

Clock time and solar time

Solar noon in Sandrakatsy falls about 35 minutes before twelve o'clock. That is why Dhuhr sits at 11:25 am rather than just past midday, and it carries through to Asr, Maghrib and Isha as well. This catches people out regularly, but prayer follows the sun, and the clock is only the label we put on it.

Lining up with the Kaaba

Turn north-north-west, about 345°, for the qibla. Makkah is around 4,332 kilometres (2,692 miles) away in a straight line.

A note on the method used

These times follow Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah. The disagreement between methods lives almost entirely in Fajr and Isha, where the sun is below the horizon and the chosen angle decides the time. Asr here follows the Hanafi reckoning, which places it noticeably later in the afternoon than the other schools would. If the mosque down the road announces something a few minutes different, pray with the mosque.

Ramadan timings

Stop eating by 3:48 am; break the fast at 5:45 pm. That is about 13 hours and 57 minutes on today's times. The full month is listed below if you want to see where the fast is heading.

From Fajr to Isha

The first call comes at 3:48 am, for Fajr. The window stays open until sunrise, 5:05 am. Dhuhr follows at 11:25 am once the sun has tipped past its highest point, and Asr at 3:51 pm. Maghrib is prayed at 5:45 pm as the light goes, then Isha at 7:15 pm. Sunrise to sunset, today runs about 12 hours and 40 minutes.

Common questions

This page rebuilds itself daily for Sandrakatsy — the times are always the current ones.