Madhab

Madhab

The madhab (Islamic school of jurisprudence) determines how Asr prayer time is calculated. Al-Falak supports both major madhabs.

Madhab options

Madhab	Shadow Length	Default
Madhab.SHAFI	Single (1.0)	Yes
Madhab.HANAFI	Double (2.0)	No

Using a madhab

from alfalak import PrayerTimes, CalculationParameters, Madhab

params = CalculationParameters()
params.madhab = Madhab.HANAFI
prayer_times = PrayerTimes(
    coordinates,
    datetime.now(),
    calculation_parameters=params,
)

What is the difference?

Asr time is calculated based on the length of an object’s shadow relative to the object’s height:

• Shafi: Shadow length = object height × 1 (shadow equals object height)
• Hanafi: Shadow length = object height × 2 (shadow is twice object height)

This results in a later Asr time for Hanafi, typically 30–50 minutes later depending on location and date.

Comparison example

from datetime import datetime
from alfalak import PrayerTimes, CalculationParameters, Madhab, CalculationMethod

coordinates = (35.7750, -78.6336)
today = datetime.now()

for madhab in [Madhab.SHAFI, Madhab.HANAFI]:
    params = CalculationParameters(method=CalculationMethod.MUSLIM_WORLD_LEAGUE)
    params.madhab = madhab
    pt = PrayerTimes(coordinates, today, calculation_parameters=params)
    print(f"{madhab.name}: Asr at {pt.asr.strftime('%H:%M')}")

See also

• Calculation Methods — all supported methods
• API Reference — full API documentation