Mosques across the UK are coming together to seek a modern solution to problem Muslims have faced for centuries - working out the exact time of dawn.
The break of dawn, which last two hours before sunrise, varies wide between different parts of the UK. This means different mosques across the country vary their Fajr timings for morning prayers as much a 45 minutes due to differences in the formulae used to determine the break of dawn. Some formulas used were based on a fixed time before sunrise and others on a set angle of the sun below the horizon.
The OpenFajir project led by the Birmingham Central Mosque used astronomy cameras to take 25,000 images of the predawn sky. The mosque, then asked its worshippers to analyse the pictures to help determine the exact time for Fajr. Dr Shahid Merali, a GP and founder of OpenFajr bought astronomy camera which captures a 30-degree view of the horizon and set it up on the rooftop to take pictures every 60 seconds of either side of dawn for a year. The 25,000 images were sent to over 170 local mosques, schools and to experts at the University of Cambridge and HM Nautical Almanac Office help determine the time.
Thanks to Dr Merali 150,000 worshippers around Birmingham have been using a standardised timetable since May. With the success of the project, there are plans to roll it nationwide. The Hujjat Mosque in Stanmore, north London and the Husaini Islamic Centre in Peterborough are embarking on their own projects this month.
