Prayer Times in Delhi

About Prayer Times in Delhi

Delhi — officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi — is home to an estimated 3 million Muslims, approximately 12–13% of its population of 32 million. This makes it one of the largest Muslim urban communities in India and in the world by absolute numbers. Delhi served as the capital of successive Islamic sultanates and Mughal emperors for over six centuries, and its Islamic heritage is visible in hundreds of mosques, madrasas, and Sufi shrines scattered across the old and new city.

Indian Muslims generally use the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi or Muslim World League method, with Fajr at 18° and Isha at 18°, though there is some variation among local organisations. At Delhi's latitude of 28.6°N, Fajr ranges from around 3:40 AM in June to 5:50 AM in December, while Maghrib falls between 5:20 PM (winter) and 7:20 PM (summer). Prayer times are printed in Urdu newspapers and displayed at mosques throughout the city; the Adhan from Delhi's older mosques — particularly in the neighbourhoods of Shahjahanabad — carries an unmistakable historic resonance.

The Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, commissioned by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in 1656, is one of India's largest and most famous mosques, with a courtyard that can hold 25,000 worshippers. The Fatehpuri Masjid at the western end of Chandni Chowk and the Quwwat ul-Islam Mosque within the Qutb Minar complex (the oldest mosque in India) are other celebrated sites. Delhi is also home to the shrine of Nizamuddin Auliya, a 14th-century Sufi saint, where qawwali music and spiritual devotion continue to draw worshippers and visitors every Thursday evening.