SHAH ALAM, Nov 10 — Selangor will upgrade its prayer time determination system by introducing district-based schedules covering nine districts instead of the current three zones, effective January 1, 2027.
The Selangor Mufti Department, through Balai Cerap Selangor's social media platform, said the improvement would allow prayer times to be determined more precisely according to each district's geographical location, thereby reducing variations in prayer times within each zone.
Under the current system, a single reference point at the westernmost location is used to represent areas within each zone, resulting in prayer time differences of between four and six minutes among districts in the same zone.
However, the new method uses multiple reference points based on geographical locations within the nine districts, reducing the range of prayer time differences to between 1.32 and 2.65 minutes.
"This improvement is the result of a study conducted by the Selangor Mufti Department in collaboration with Universiti Malaya to examine the feasibility of determining prayer times based on districts in the state.
"The new method takes into account the geographical location of each area more specifically to ensure that prayer times are better suited to local needs," the department said in a post on Balai Cerap Selangor's YouTube channel.
The research paper was presented at the Selangor State Falak Committee meeting on May 26, 2025, before being submitted to the Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS), which endorsed it on June 5 that year.
The proposal was subsequently presented to the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, on October 10, 2025, before receiving His Royal Highness' consent on November 17, 2025, for implementation in 2027.
Accordingly, Muslims in Selangor are advised to refer to prayer timetables for their respective districts to ensure that their prayers are performed at the prescribed times.
Residents can determine their districts by referring to the administrative boundaries of their respective district Islamic religious offices or district and land offices. They should also ensure that prayer times are based on Malaysian Standard Time.
The public can obtain prayer timetables through the official Selangor Mufti Department website.
Information on the qibla direction and visits to Balai Cerap Selangor is also available through the Selangor e-Falak portal and the department's official social media channels.
