Guide · Isha
Isha time in the UK: when does Isha start, and why so late in summer?
Isha, the night prayer, begins when evening twilight has ended. In the UK that can be very late in summer. This page shows when Isha starts in each UK city we publish, how far it is from Maghrib through the year, and why the summer times look the way they do.
The short answer
- Isha starts when twilight ends
- When the last light has left the western sky. We calculate it with the sun 17° below the horizon.
- In UK summer it can be very late, or never fully dark
- The sun stays close to the horizon all night, so the 17° angle may not be reached. On those dates we use the one-seventh-of-the-night rule, described below.
Today, Thursday 22 October 2026, in London: Maghrib at 17:56, Isha at 19:38 — 102 minutes later. Isha for your city.
How long after Maghrib is Isha?
Around midwinter Isha follows Maghrib by 115–131 minutes; around midsummer the gap is 52–78 minutes, depending on the city. The further north and the closer to midsummer, the longer the twilight lasts.
Minutes between the published Maghrib and Isha on that date. “—” means the date is outside the times published so far.
Isha today — Thursday 22 October 2026
Start times, not congregation (jamāʿah) times. A time marked as next day falls after midnight.
Why Isha is so late in the UK summer
In summer the sun sets late and then dips only a short way below the northern horizon before it rises again. Evening twilight can run on until, or nearly until, dawn twilight begins. Every UK location loses the 17° angle for part of the year, so the 17° time simply does not exist on some dates.
For those dates we use the one-seventh-of-the-night rule: Isha is never later than the end of the first seventh of the night, counted from sunset to sunrise. The same limit is applied to Fajr in the other direction, and each prayer is handled on its own. Where the rule decides a time, the city page says so for that date and shows the angle-based time alongside when one exists.
This is a product calculation choice, not a religious ruling. UK scholars and organisations do not agree on a single method for the summer months. If you follow your local mosque's timetable, follow that. Read the full methodology.
When does Isha end?
We do not publish a single “Isha ends” time, because scholars differ. The table above shows Islamic midnight: the middle of the night, measured from sunset to the next morning's Fajr. Scholars differ on Isha after this point: some say its time ends here; others, including the Ḥanafī school, that it remains valid until Fajr but is disliked after this point.
For which view applies to you, ask your mosque or a scholar you trust.
Why your mosque's Isha may be different
- Start time or jamāʿah time. The times here are when Isha begins. A mosque's congregation often prays later, especially in summer.
- A different twilight angle. Some UK timetables use a different angle for Isha (15°, for example) and so print an earlier Isha than ours, which uses 17°.
- A different summer method. UK mosques and organisations handle the weeks when twilight does not end in different ways, so their summer Isha times can differ from ours.
From 1 January 2027 the London and Ilford figures on this page are the London Unified Prayer Timetable's own published times, shown as published.
How we calculate prayer times → When does Fajr end? → Asr Mithl 1 and Mithl 2 explained → All UK cities →
Frequently asked questions
When does Isha start in the UK?
Isha starts when evening twilight has ended, which we calculate with the sun 17° below the horizon. It varies by city and date; where that angle is not reached, which happens for part of every year in the UK, we use the one-seventh-of-the-night rule.
Why is Isha so late in the UK in summer?
In summer the sun stays close to the horizon all night, so evening twilight lasts very late or never fully ends. The 17° angle cannot be reached on some dates, so we estimate Isha with the one-seventh-of-the-night rule. This is a product calculation choice, not a religious ruling.
What time is Isha in London today?
Today, Thursday 22 October 2026, in London: Maghrib at 17:56 and Isha at 19:38, 102 minutes later. See every city.
How long after Maghrib is Isha in the UK?
Around midwinter Isha follows Maghrib by 115–131 minutes; around midsummer by 52–78 minutes, depending on the city.
When does Isha end?
We publish no single Isha end time. Scholars differ on Isha after Islamic midnight: some say its time ends there; others, including the Ḥanafī school, that it remains valid until Fajr but is disliked after that point. Ask your mosque or a scholar you trust.
How is Isha calculated?
With the sun 17° below the horizon, and the one-seventh-of-the-night rule where that angle is not reached. Both are described on the methodology page.