Regional capital · Northern Province
Prayer times in Jaffna
Muslims living in Jaffna can use this page to check when each prayer begins today. Jaffna is a regional capital in Sri Lanka, in Northern Province, with about 169,102 inhabitants. The timetable is calculated from the position of the sun for this exact location and checked against the AlAdhan service, and you can change the calculation method or the Asr school in the settings.
Prayer times in Jaffna today
- Fajr
- Sunrise
- Dhuhr
- Asr
- Maghrib
- Isha
Calculation settings
Calculated with the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi method.
Monthly prayer timetable for Jaffna
| Day | Hijri | Fajr | Sunrise | Dhuhr | Asr | Maghrib | Isha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading the monthly timetable… | |||||||
How prayer times in Jaffna change through the year
It helps to know how prayer times in Jaffna move with the seasons. Fajr ranges between 4:33 AM on 21 June and 5:06 AM on 21 December, a shift of 32 minutes, while Maghrib moves between 5:55 PM and 6:32 PM. Daylight reaches 12 h 41 min in the summer solstice and falls to 11 h 34 min around the winter solstice. Use these figures to plan your day, your travel and your work around the prayers.
| Day | Fajr | Sunrise | Dhuhr | Asr | Maghrib | Isha |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 MarchSpring equinox | 5:05 AM | 6:14 AM | 12:18 PM | 3:33 PM | 6:21 PM | 7:30 PM |
| 21 JuneSummer solstice | 4:33 AM | 5:51 AM | 12:12 PM | 3:39 PM | 6:32 PM | 7:50 PM |
| 23 SeptemberAutumn equinox | 4:49 AM | 5:59 AM | 12:02 PM | 3:18 PM | 6:06 PM | 7:15 PM |
| 21 DecemberWinter solstice | 5:06 AM | 6:21 AM | 12:08 PM | 3:27 PM | 5:55 PM | 7:10 PM |
Compared with Colombo, Dhuhr in Jaffna comes roughly 1 minute earlier than in Colombo, and on the 21 June Maghrib arrives 4 minutes later than in the capital. Jaffna is 304 km from the capital, towards the north. For this reason we calculate every city separately rather than using one timetable for the whole country.
Qibla in Jaffna and distance to Makkah
From Jaffna you face towards the west, at an angle of 291.8° from true north; the Kaaba is 4,483 km away. We computed this angle with spherical trigonometry from the coordinates of Jaffna and those of the Kaaba (21.4225° N, 39.8262° E). Note that a compass points to magnetic north, which can differ by a few degrees from true north.
Ramadan timetable for Jaffna
Fasting in Jaffna, Ramadan 1448 AH (expected around 8 February 2027) starts with iftar at 6:17 PM and imsak at 5:09 AM on the first day, 12 h 58 min of fasting. By the end of the month (9 March 2027) Maghrib is at 6:21 PM and the fast lasts 13 h 10 min. These are astronomical estimates; the official start of the month is announced by the religious authorities in Sri Lanka.
Where Jaffna is located
The coordinates of Jaffna are 9.6685° N and 80.0074° E. The closest places on our site are Valvettithurai (24 km), Point Pedro (30 km), and Mannar (77 km). Check the prayer times of these places to compare them, which helps when you travel across Northern Province.
- Name
- Jaffna
- Type
- Regional capital
- Part of
- Northern Province, Sri Lanka
- Population
- 169,102
- Coordinates
- 9.66845, 80.00742
- Time zone
- UTC+5:30
- Calculation method
- University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi
- Qibla direction
- 291.8° (west)
- Distance to Makkah
- 4,483 km
Friday prayer and Asr time in Jaffna
The default timetable uses the standard opinion (Shafi‘i, Maliki and Hanbali) for Asr. With the Hanafi method, Asr in Jaffna comes about 64 minutes later around the summer solstice (4:43 PM instead of 3:39 PM). Jumu‘ah is prayed at Dhuhr time, around 12:18 PM around the spring equinox, with small changes over the year.
If you are travelling to Jaffna, look at the times here before you arrive and use the list of nearby cities to see the prayer times along your route.
Prayer times near Jaffna
- Valvettithurai24 km · north-east
- Point Pedro30 km · north-east
- Mannar77 km · south
- Mullaittivu99 km · south-east
- Vavuniya115 km · south-east
- Anuradhapura157 km · south
- Trincomalee181 km · south-east
- Puttalam183 km · south
Frequently asked questions about prayer times in Jaffna
What is the Qibla direction in Jaffna?
The Qibla in Jaffna is 291.8° from true north, towards the west. The Kaaba in Makkah is 4,483 km away.
When is Maghrib in Jaffna?
Maghrib is at sunset: between 5:55 PM on 21 December and 6:32 PM on 21 June. Today’s time is in the card above.
Which calculation method is used for Jaffna?
We use the University of Islamic Sciences, Karachi method: Fajr at 18° and Isha when the sun is 18° below the horizon. You can change it in the settings of the prayer card.
Do prayer times in Jaffna differ from Colombo?
Yes. Jaffna is 304 km from Colombo, towards the north, and Dhuhr in Jaffna is called roughly 1 minute earlier than in Colombo.
How long is the fast in Jaffna during Ramadan?
About 12 h 58 min at the start of Ramadan 1448 AH and 13 h 10 min at its end, according to astronomical calculation.