To schedule the congregational prayer at your mosque, change the iqamah setting in Mawaqit, never the prayer start time. This guide explains why, then walks through the setting step by step, using Isha with an iqamah fixed at 19:45 as the example.
Prayer start time and iqamah: two different times
Time | What it marks | Who relies on it |
Prayer start time | The beginning of the prayer period; from then on, the prayer can be performed | Everyone, at the mosque or elsewhere |
Iqamah | When the congregational prayer begins at the mosque | Worshippers joining the congregation |
In Mawaqit, the iqamah can be set either as a delay after the start time (for example +10 minutes) or as a fixed time.
Example: Isha at 19:27
In our example, Isha begins at 19:27 and the iqamah is set for 10 minutes later. The congregational prayer therefore begins at 19:37: worshippers can pray Isha from 19:27, or join the congregation at the mosque at 19:37.
The mosque now wants the congregational prayer to begin at 19:45. That means changing the iqamah setting; the Isha start time stays at 19:27.
Why not change the start time
Your mosque's prayer timetable is used by more than those attending the mosque: people praying at home, at work, or wherever they happen to be also rely on it.
Avoid: changing the Isha start time from 19:27 to 19:45. These worshippers may think Isha has not yet begun and wait before praying.
Do: keep the correct start time (19:27) and set the iqamah separately (19:45), to suit your mosque's schedule.
Fix the iqamah time, step by step
Sign in to your Mawaqit administration panel.
On your mosque's card, click Actions, then Configure.
In Prayer times configuration, open the Iqama section.
Under Waiting time between athan and iqâmah you'll see the current delay (10 minutes for Isha in our example).
Scroll down to Fixing iqama, keep the Simple tab, and enter the fixed time in the field for the prayer concerned: 19:45 for Isha.
Click Save at the bottom of the page.
The fixed time replaces the 10-minute delay for Isha. The start time does not change.
If your country uses daylight saving time, enter the fixed time in standard (winter) time: Mawaqit adds an hour automatically while daylight saving is in effect, as the settings page notes.
Check the result
On the mosque screen, Isha still shows 19:27 as the start time, and the iqamah now shows 19:45 instead of “+10”. The Mawaqit app shows the same times: 19:27 for Isha, 19:45 for the iqamah.
This way, everyone has accurate information, whether they're praying elsewhere or joining the congregation at the mosque.
Watch the video
Every step is shown in our 2-minute video tutorial:
Questions or suggestions? Leave a comment under the video or contact us by email at [email protected].
Jazakum Allahu khayran for your dedication to serving your community.