Minbar prayer calculation algorithms
I have received many emails about Minbar’s prayer calculation method. First, one thing I would like to make sure everyone understands is that Minbar is not supposed to replace a real human Athan call. It is software, and it may have errors and bugs, so make really sure that you check your times with your local mosque and see if Minbar conforms with them. If they don’t, let me know.
Don’t forget to try to change the calculation method and see if the software produces correct times: you can change the calculation method in the second tab of the preferences dialog:
So far, the countries with the most problems are the far east countries: Indonesia and Malaysia. I have received many emails from these two countries. I would like to let you know that I acknowledge this problem and I will work on solving it. I take correct prayer times very seriously and will do my utmost to resolve it.
Minbar uses libitl for its prayer calculation. I have not written libitl, so I am planning to do a code overhaul and look at the correctness and authenticity of the implementation. This may take time, so I apologise for this in advance. In the mean time, feel free to always send me an email when you notice a calculation error; include in your report:
- Your city details: Altitude, Longitude, Latitude, name, country.
- Your country’s time zone.
- The times that Minbar gives you for your city.
- The date.
- Your country’s calculation method: if you know it.
- Your country’s Madhab.
January 4th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Removing these lines from file prayer.c (line 695) in libitl0 source code solve the problem for me:
if (part1
January 4th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
The code that Xlylith wanted to put is this (he sent me an email)
/*mm if (part1 < 1 || Lat < 0) part1 = mathhab - tan(DEG_TO_RAD(Lat) - dec); mm*/I’ll follow up.
January 4th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
To where I have to report? Is there any bug reporting facility here? Or just type here?
Ashr time problem :
localtime: 15.15
itl-time: 13.58
Latitude: -7.8
Longitude: 110.37
City: Jogjakarta, Indonesia
January 15th, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Assalamualaikum,
I already installed Minbar 0.2 but still have bug.
1. Find for our City [Jakarta] found indonesia in Australia&Ocean List not in Asia, we must correction Indonesia is Asia
2. For Ashr Time is late,
I use Prayer Time (plugn mozilla) : Asr Time = 15:27 with Muslim Worl League Method
But I use Minbar : Asr Time = 14:18 with Muslim World Method –> this is wrong time
Jakarta :
Latitude = -6.12
Logitude = 106.65
Time = +7
I mean this problem since minbar 0.1 version, How to fixed this bug ?
January 23rd, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Farid:
1. I will look this up with the creators of the list, which are GNOME applets developers.
2. Yes, unfortunately, I have acknowledged this. Look up the subsequent posts in http://djihed.com/minbar
Djihed
February 29th, 2008 at 7:54 am
Asalaamu alaikum,
I have the problem that minbar seems to seize the sound channel. For example if I have realplayer working, then after an Athan, realplayer will no longer output sound.
Anyone else have that problem? Or have a fix?
WAS
March 4th, 2008 at 5:30 am
Assalamu’alaikum WrWb.,
Brother Martin, i have the same problems as well as you have.
After an athan all the sounds will no longer heard.
Brother Djihed, how was it….?
Also i have the same problems with brother Farid (questions no.4), as i lived in Bogor, 60 km from Jakarta.
Wass,
Tegap
March 9th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
SalaamAllakum,
May Allah bless you for your efforts, brother.
I’m still using Minbar 0.1 because 0.2 won’t install on Ubuntu Feisty for some reason. I’m fine with that because I’m using a cronjob to switch between the adthans. Everything was working fine, Alhamdilllah, until recently with the Daylight Savings Time. Minbar is still showing the old adthan times even though we’re now an hour ahead in the USA. I’m guessing this has something to do with libitl. Any thoughts on how I can fix it?
Jazakhallahar and SalaamAllakum,
NMC
April 6th, 2008 at 8:59 am
timings are wrong
i am in edirne
http://www.diyanet.gov.tr/turkish/vakithes_namazsonuc.asp
this page shows goverments pray hours
i am in edirne turkey
http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerD.php?city=edirne&country=turkey&home=2008-4-6
i checked coordinates forum that page
and
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=116867048083452509298.000001129af3561a40a4b&ll=41.63546,26.614552&spn=0.05273,0.103683&z=13
this isthe google map adress
how can i find coordinates for keeping programes hours same as goverment hours?
April 13th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
I sent an e-mail but go no response, so I thought of leaving a comment here, the Minbar program works fine for the winter prayer times, however as of March - October when the clock changes to the summer clock, it still works 1 hour behind. I think that the program either needs to allow users to manipulate the time manually (which they can check for the correct time at masjids etc, this will eliminate a lot of the problems. ) Right now mine is working an hour ahead of the prayer times because it doesn’t recognise daylight savings and there is no facility for me to manually insert the prayer time.
April 13th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Safiyyah, sorry for not getting back to your email as I am pretty swamped with a long baclklog of emails.
Not recognising daylight savings is indeed a problem, but there is an easy fix by adjusting the clock under preferences. Just change the time zone by adding or subtracting 1 as needed.
Which is indeed what you referred to as “manipulate the time manually”, it is possible in the current application. Have you checked under preferences?
April 14th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
Thank you Djihed, that worked well for me!!! Am a happy bunny again.
May 14th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Hi Djihed,
Wondering if there is a way to play specific Athans only? I want Minbar to alert me for Fajr, Dhuhr and Maghrib. How can I do this?
Thanks!
June 14th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Salam Hussain,
Hmm, that is not possible at the moment unfortunately. I think I should offer this in the next version. Thanks for your comment.
Djihed
June 26th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Hi, assalamu alaikum…
i understand minbar is not using the altitude information for calculation of prayer time.. one source of error may be this..
October 14th, 2008 at 7:49 am
lat: -6.16
long: 106.48
city: Jakarta
the problem is when calculation Ashr time… my reference is from this page: http://www.pkpu.or.id/adzan.lite.php?lv=f05ed2f953&type=2&id=83&m=12&y=2008
October 15th, 2008 at 4:49 am
this is maybe algorithm for Jakarta, Indonesia:
:: Fiqh Options
Determination of Fajr : 20.0 deg. Sun’s depression
Determination of Asr : Shadow ratio 1 (Shafi’i and others)
Determination of Isha : 18.0 deg. Sun’s depression
Determination of Imsyak : 1.5 deg. Sun’s depression to Fajr
thanks
December 20th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Assalamu Alaykum
In first place, sorry for my bad english :-D
I want to give my sincere thanks to developers for so useful tool for GNU/linux users. Allah reward them. Ameen.
I’m using Minbar from a few months. Now, the 0.2.1 included in Debian/Lenny, 64-bit version.
As im reading in former posts, the calculation methods appears to be not reliables in near equator latitudes. Here, in tropic (im writing from Venezuela, and yes there we are many brothers and sisters ;-D), sun rises and goes down too quickly, despite the year’s month; just as should be in all the low latitude places around the world as Guyana, Suriname, Malasya, Indonesia, Singapore, etc…
All calculing methods has problems in beginning of Al-fajr and at the end of Al-’Isha. This happens in all the solar year.
The Sunrise (Shorooq), and the Sunset (prior to begin of Maghreb) works pretty good to me and the program follows the insignificant variation along the solar year. I chekced it with local weather data. Also the rest of prayer times appears to work good, all this prooved with all calculation methods included in Minbar.
My Cordinates: 10,17 (North) Latitude; -67,93 (West) Longitude
My City: (Valencia, Venezuela). Founded with that cordinates by program or library implied to do this. Works ok.
For unfounded cities, the trick is to set up manually coordinates using some weather local service, or even Google Maps.
Local Time: -4,5 GMT (Venezuela local time). setted up manually, we have not “Daylight saving”. I supose this must be a problem in other latitudes, to change hours two times at year… :-S
The most “near” calculation method to my reality is the Islamic Asociation of North America alghorythm or method.
It’s not 100% accurate in fajr and magreb as i said, but it work better than the rest, who gives really unreal times at this two moments.
By this date, december 20, these are my praying times by mentioned setup and method:
Fajr: 5:11
December 20th, 2008 at 6:59 am
Ops! truncated text… Continues:
Fajr: 05:11
December 20th, 2008 at 7:01 am
some problems with xhtml… i repeat :-P
Times of Salah at my local Masjid:
Fajr 5:00-5:30 depending of solar year
Zuhr 13:00
‘Asr 16:30
Maghreb 18:00-18:30 the same issue
‘Isha 20:00
Another matter i would like to comment, the muslim date in Minbar’s calendar doesn’t working good. The “new day” in minbar it just change with the system clock, at 0:00 hours.
…Should be at the beginning of the Magreb or ‘Isha? (i dont remember, im a new muslim, he he)
By the rest, one more time my greetings to developers. It’s a very good job, and the spanish translation works fine too. Still working on this program. Thanks for all and Salaam to everyone…!
December 29th, 2008 at 5:45 am
Asalam O Alaikum,
Jazak Allah Khair for the software. We have been using this in our house for last month and everyone enjoys the athan through out the house. I need to if you can add a feature that will allow users to execute some script before athan and after athan. My need is the I have MPD server running in the house which my family uses to listen to lectures and nasheed and quran but i want to be able to mute those if athan is playing. If you can implement this that great.
thanks
K
February 1st, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Is there a way to setup am/pm times instead of 24 hr military style time? If not this seems like a simple thing to add on.
February 8th, 2009 at 6:38 am
ASAK,
I have installed minbar but the prayer calculations seem to be wrong. It is showing city as Dallas which is correct but for some reason the calculations are one hour ahead of actual time. I recently upgraded to Ubuntu 8.10. What could be the problem?
February 15th, 2009 at 4:24 am
salam. i’m hairie from malaysia. i’m doing research for final year project now in prayer time analysis. can u help me, in indonesia what are the official website that announced and display to the public for prayer time. in malaysia for example, public can access to jabatan kemajuan agama islam malaysia(malaysia islamic religion authority) gets the prayer time for whole city in malaysia
March 10th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Asalam Alaikum,
I was not able to find a contact way to reach you for asking help from you about the algorithm that you used to get the Qibla direction.
Can you please help me in this ?
September 1st, 2009 at 10:09 am
A’ssalaam Alaikum,
first of all thank you for coming up with the program itself and making it available for us to use. God bless you son. I am from Maldives, tho currently accommodated here in Sri lanka. from where i am located the mosque (not near by) recites athan for prayers at random prayers, sometimes no fajr athan. its disappointing. specially during this ramadaan. i am happy to have this program though, the time given on the Minbar doesnt match the local time.
here are my settings
Calculation : Egyptian General Authority of Survey
City Details : Custom Settings for Sri Lanka / Colombo
Latitude : 6.66
Longitude : 79.35
City Name : Colombo (Custom Name for this city is not listed in it)
Time Zone : 5.5
The nearest Correction i got to local prayer time is by adjusting latitude and longitude ending in final result as follows
Minbar Subh: 04:46
Local Subh: 04:47
Minbar Dhuhr: 12:12
Local Dhuhr: 12:12
Minbar Asr: 15:16
Local Asr: 15:16
Minbar Maghreb: 18:19
Local Maghreb: 18:18
Minbar Isha’a: 19:29
Local Isha’a: 19:29
These are the prayer times according to 1st of September 2009.
hoping you could help me fix it.
Insha allah, you will do good, be healthy and be safe always.
tc.
Salaam
September 20th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
A’ssalaam Alaikum once again dear brother,
Sorry for my impatience. But please could you fix it? or tell me how to fix it. thank you. god bless you. insha Allah i wish you a happy eid.
Salaam
November 30th, 2009 at 6:24 am
Assalamu’alaikum,
I am from Padang (latitude -0.95,longitude 100.35) West Sumatra, Indonesia.
There is a wrong calculation in Ashr.
The problem will be appeared if you change latitude from 0 to -0.01, it will make a great different Ashr time.
hoping you could fix it,
Your work will be “amal jariyah”
Good luck, and thank you very much.
All the best,
Aadrean
December 3rd, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Salam
Thank you brother for your help…I living in Algeria, and I found the prayer times were wrong:
the details are as follows:
(36.76 N, 3.05 E)
the accurate times can be found at this website if this would help:
http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayerD.php?city=Algiers&country=algeria&month=&year=&start=0&home=&prayerService=&lang=&athan=&aversion=
Baraka allah fik…Salam
December 28th, 2009 at 11:18 pm
Assalamualaikum Djihed, following are correct information about my city: Jakarta (Indonesia), please update it to Minbar Prayer Times.
* Your city details: Latitude: -6.17 Longitude: 106.86, name: Jakarta, country: Indonesia
* Jakarta’s time zone: +7
* Your country’s calculation method: if you know it: University Of Islamice Science, Shafii
Jazakumullah for creating Minbar
March 14th, 2010 at 3:04 am
Is this program ever going to be updated to add more features like pictures of Masjids around the world as part of the window that shows the prayer times and have the option for day light saving time?
March 16th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Dallas - it will be updated, but not with pictures of Masjids :)
I’d like to keep it simple and minimalistic. There are a few features already implemented. Just a question of finding an afternoon free to release it.