Beyond the five obligatory prayers
Alongside the five daily prayers, there are cherished voluntary (nafl) prayers that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged. Three of the best known are Tahajjud, Ishraq and Duha. Each has its own window, and each window is derived from the same sun positions used for the obligatory times.
Tahajjud — the late-night prayer
Tahajjud is prayed at night after sleeping, before Fajr. Its window runs from after Isha until the start of Fajr, but the most virtuous portion is the last third of the night. To find that, take the length of night from Maghrib to Fajr, divide it into three, and the final third is the prized time. SalatWaqt can show this last-third start time, computed from your Maghrib and Fajr.
Ishraq — just after sunrise
Ishraq is prayed shortly after sunrise, once the sun has risen and the brief makruh window at sunrise has passed — roughly fifteen to twenty minutes after sunrise. It carries a great reward for those who remain in remembrance from Fajr until then. Its start is therefore derived directly from the day's sunrise time.
Duha — the forenoon prayer
Duha (also called Chaasht) is the forenoon prayer. Its window opens after the Ishraq period and continues until just before midday (zawal), when the sun nears its zenith. In practice it begins about fifteen to twenty minutes after sunrise and ends a few minutes before Dhuhr. Many pray it when the morning is well advanced and the sun has risen high.
How the windows are calculated
- Tahajjud (last third) = Maghrib + two-thirds of the night length (night = Fajr next day − Maghrib).
- Ishraq = sunrise + a short interval (about 15–20 minutes).
- Duha = from the end of the sunrise window until shortly before Dhuhr (zawal).
Because all three are tied to sunrise, sunset and dawn, they shift each day exactly as the obligatory times do.
A worked example of the last third
Suppose Maghrib is at 7:00 pm and the next day's Fajr is at 4:00 am. The night lasts nine hours. Divide that into three parts of three hours each: the first third ends at 10:00 pm, the middle third at 1:00 am, and the last third runs from 1:00 am until Fajr at 4:00 am. That final stretch is the most virtuous time for Tahajjud. Because the calculation uses your own Maghrib and Fajr, the start of the last third moves through the year just as the prayer times do — there is no need to work it out by hand each night.
Etiquette and number of units
These prayers are offered in pairs of two units (rak'ah). Tahajjud has no fixed maximum; the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have prayed several pairs followed by the witr prayer. Ishraq and Duha are commonly prayed as two to eight units. There is no specific surah required beyond the obligatory recitation, and the prayers can be kept short or lengthened with extra supplication as you wish. The spirit of all three is closeness to God in quiet moments of the day — at night, at first light, and in the bright forenoon.
Making them part of your routine
These prayers are voluntary, so there is flexibility — but their rewards are immense and their windows are predictable. If you pray Fajr in congregation and stay for a short while, Ishraq follows naturally. If you wake in the last third of the night, Tahajjud is there. SalatWaqt surfaces these times so you can build them into your day with confidence.