Asr is the Islamic afternoon prayer, and its exact time changes every day based on your location and the season.

Short direct answer

  • Asr starts when the sun has passed midday and your shadow reaches a certain length (explained below) and lasts until just before sunset.
  • For a practical time , you should check a local prayer timetable (your mosque, a reliable website, or a prayer-time app) for your specific city.

How Asr time is defined

There are two well-known methods (both are valid opinions in Islamic jurisprudence):

  1. Shadow equals object length (plus the noon shadow)
    • Asr starts when the length of an object’s shadow becomes equal to its height, after subtracting the shortest shadow at midday.
 * This is followed by many scholars and is often what non‑Hanafi mosques use.
  1. Shadow is twice the object length (plus the noon shadow)
    • Asr starts when the shadow reaches twice the object’s height, again after subtracting the midday shadow.
 * This is the position of the Hanafi school and is why some timetables show a **later** Asr time.

In both methods, Asr ends at (or just before) sunset , which is the start of Maghrib time.

What you should do in practice

  • Follow your local mosque’s timetable : Scholars often advise praying with your local community’s schedule to avoid confusion; if your local masjid uses the later Asr time, you can safely follow that.
  • Use a trusted app or site : Apps like Muslim Pro or Athan (or local Islamic center websites) calculate times using your GPS/location and chosen juristic method.

Simple practical example

If you stand outside in the afternoon with a stick that is 1 meter tall:

  • When its shadow (minus the small noon shadow) reaches 1 meter , Asr has started in the non‑Hanafi method.
  • When it reaches 2 meters , Asr has started in the Hanafi method.

If you tell me your city (or nearest major city) and whether you follow the Hanafi method or not, I can explain what that means more concretely for you today, step by step.