Managing Prayer Times

Accurate prayer times are the foundation of everything MasjidConnect displays. This guide covers how to configure your calculation method, set Jamaat (Iqamah) times, create seasonal adjustments, and import your existing timetable from a spreadsheet.

Prayer times in MasjidConnect are structured in two layers:

• Calculated times — the astronomical start time for each prayer (Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha), calculated from your masjid’s location using a chosen method
• Jamaat (Iqamah) times — the time at which your masjid holds the congregational prayer, which can differ from the calculated time

Both layers are displayed on your screens. Jamaat times are what most worshippers care about most.

MasjidConnect calculates prayer start times automatically based on your masjid’s coordinates and a chosen calculation method.

1. 1

   Go to Prayer Times in the admin dashboard

   In the left sidebar, click Prayer Times, then select Settings.
2. 2

   Choose a calculation method

   Select the method used by your local Islamic authority or preferred organisation. Common options include Muslim World League (MWL), ISNA, Egyptian General Authority, and University of Islamic Sciences Karachi.
3. 3

   Set your Asr calculation

   Choose between the Shafi'i method (shadow factor 1×) or the Hanafi method (shadow factor 2×), depending on your madhab.
4. 4

   Confirm your location

   Verify that your masjid's postcode or coordinates are correct — inaccurate location data will result in incorrect prayer times.
5. 5

   Save and preview

   Save your settings and review the calculated prayer times for today to ensure they look correct.

Jamaat times are the actual prayer times observed at your masjid. They are typically set a fixed number of minutes after the calculated start time, or at a specific fixed time.

Fixed offsets

The simplest approach: set Jamaat to be a fixed number of minutes after the calculated prayer time. For example, Dhuhr Jamaat at +15 minutes, Asr at +20 minutes.

Fixed times

Some masjids keep Dhuhr at a fixed time regardless of season (e.g. 1:30pm every day). MasjidConnect supports setting an absolute time for any prayer, which overrides the calculated offset.

How to set Jamaat times

1. Go to Prayer Times → Jamaat Times.
2. For each prayer, choose either Offset (minutes after calculated time) or Fixed time.
3. Enter the value and save.

Most UK masjids adjust their Jamaat times seasonally — for example, longer Asr Jamaat gaps in summer, and Fajr Jamaat changes based on sunrise. MasjidConnect supports multiple named seasonal periods with their own Jamaat settings.

Creating a seasonal pattern

1. 1

   Go to Seasonal Patterns

   In Prayer Times, click Seasonal Patterns.
2. 2

   Add a new pattern

   Click Add Pattern and give it a descriptive name (e.g. 'Winter', 'Summer', 'Ramadan').
3. 3

   Set the date range

   Enter the start and end dates for this pattern. Patterns repeat annually — you only need to set them once.
4. 4

   Configure Jamaat times

   Set the Jamaat offsets or fixed times for each prayer during this period.
5. 5

   Save and activate

   Save the pattern. MasjidConnect will automatically switch to it when the date range begins.

Jumuah (Friday prayer) replaces Dhuhr and often has specific timing requirements. MasjidConnect lets you configure one or more Jumuah sessions.

Setting up Jumuah

1. Go to Prayer Times → Jumuah Settings.
2. Enter the time(s) for your Jumuah Khutbah and prayer. If your masjid holds multiple sessions (e.g. 1pm and 2pm), you can add both.
3. Add a description or session name (e.g. ‘First Jumuah’, ‘Second Jumuah’) — this appears on the display screen.
4. Save your settings.

On Fridays, your display screens will automatically switch to showing the Jumuah schedule in place of the regular Dhuhr prayer time.

If your masjid already uses a spreadsheet timetable, you can import it directly into MasjidConnect. This is available on the Essentials plan and above.

Preparing your CSV

Your CSV file should have one row per day with columns for the date and each prayer time. The expected column format is:

• Date — in DD/MM/YYYY format
• Fajr Start, Fajr Jamaat, Sunrise, Dhuhr Start, Dhuhr Jamaat, Asr Start, Asr Jamaat, Maghrib Start, Maghrib Jamaat, Isha Start, Isha Jamaat

A downloadable template is available from the Prayer Times → Import page in the admin dashboard.

Importing

1. Go to Prayer Times → Import.
2. Click Choose File and select your CSV.
3. Preview the first few rows to confirm the columns mapped correctly.
4. Click Import. The timetable will be populated for all dates in the file.

Prayer times look incorrect

• Verify your masjid’s postcode and location in Settings → Masjid Profile.
• Check you have selected the correct calculation method for your region.
• If using CSV import, check that the times in your file are correct and that the date format matches (DD/MM/YYYY).

Seasonal pattern not switching

• Check that the pattern’s date range includes today’s date.
• Date ranges are inclusive — a pattern starting on 1 April and ending on 30 September includes both those dates.
• If two patterns overlap on the same date, the one created most recently takes precedence.