{"_id":"69600e59a419776ac230ed54","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Is it permissible to rely on the Muwaqqit app for prayer times in areas affected by artificial skyglow?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Is it permissible to rely on the Muwaqqit web application, live view, and iPhone app without changing any of the default values? If so, are there situations in which relying on it would not be allowed?\\n\\nAdditionally, Muwaqqit’s documentation explains that in regions affected by artificial anthropogenic skyglow, it is not possible to accurately determine the Sun’s altitude at which true dawn breaks or at which the red twilight disappears through direct observation. Classical muwaqqits such as Ibn ash-Shāṭir adopted angles like −19° for true dawn and −16° for the disappearance of red twilight based on observation in environments unaffected by artificial light.\\n\\nIn contrast, some contemporary observations in places like Amman have reported the disappearance of red twilight at smaller angles, such as −12°, which may be influenced by artificial skyglow.\\n\\nIn areas affected by artificial skyglow, should one act based on what appears visible to the eye, even if that visibility is distorted, or should one rely on historically established calculations used by classical muwaqqits? For example, if true dawn does not appear visible due to skyglow but calculations show the Sun has reached −18°, is it permissible to pray Ṣubḥ? Likewise, if the red twilight appears to have disappeared but the Sun is only at −12°, must one wait longer before praying ʿIshāʾ?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"Muwaqqit is the app I personally use and recommend.\\n\\nWhen accurate observation is not possible, which is the case in most of the developed world today, one should rely on historical observational data gathered by Muslim scholars over several centuries. It is not correct to rely on observation when observation itself is skewed by environmental factors.\\n\\nThat said, regardless of how precise these calculations are, there is always a margin of error. Muwaqqit does a good job of presenting this information, so we should pay close attention to it.\\n\\nBārak Allahu fīkum\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668da00c0b76658b4c232ca7","tag":"Salah: Timings","count":52},{"_id":"668da0120b76658b4c232d57","tag":"Contemporary Life: Technology","count":17}],"createdOn":"2026-01-08T20:06:49.895Z"}