Last Third of the Night Calculator
Find exactly when the last third of the night begins tonight — for your city, or from your own Maghrib and Fajr times.
Find tonight's last third
Times are calculated for planning. If your local mosque or a trusted local timetable gives a different time, follow your local mosque.
What is the last third of the night?
The last third of the night is the final portion of the Islamic night. The night does not run from midnight to midnight — it runs from Maghrib (sunset) to Fajr (true dawn). Divide that span into three equal parts, and the last of the three is the last third: the time from two-thirds of the way through the night until Fajr begins.
It is the most sought-after time of the night because of the well-known hadith:
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who will call upon Me, that I may answer him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145; Sahih Muslim 758)
People also search for it as the "last 3rd of the night", the "third of the night" or the "final third of the night" — they are all this same stretch of time, and the tahajjud calculator on our homepage is built on exactly the same calculation. This page simply organises everything around the last third itself, with the full segments table in front of you: first third, second third, and the last third where Tahajjud is prayed.
How it is calculated
Three steps, and you can check any result by hand. Step 1: take the length of the night — today's Maghrib to tomorrow's Fajr. Step 2: divide it by three. Step 3: count two thirds forward from Maghrib; where the second third ends, the last third begins, and it runs until Fajr. Our methodology page shows the full working, the calculation methods we support, and the sources behind every time.
Worked example
Say tonight's Maghrib is 6:12 PM and tomorrow's Fajr is 5:24 AM. The night is 11 hours 12 minutes long; each third is 3 hours 44 minutes.
| Part of the night | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|
| First third | 6:12 PM (Maghrib) | 9:56 PM |
| Second third | 9:56 PM | 1:40 AM |
| Last third (Tahajjud) | 1:40 AM | 5:24 AM (Fajr) |
On this night the last third of the night time today runs from 1:40 AM to 5:24 AM — and Islamic midnight, the halfway point, falls at 11:48 PM.
Last third vs Islamic midnight
They are neighbours, not twins. Islamic midnight is the single halfway instant of the night; the last third is the whole final stretch after the two-thirds mark. Midnight matters mainly as the end of the preferred time for Isha in the view of many scholars; the last third is when you pray. If you only remember one number tonight, make it the start of the last third — and use the wake-up planner to turn it into an alarm.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the last third of the night?
The final third of the Islamic night — the time from Maghrib to Fajr split into three equal parts. It is the time of the famous hadith in which Allah descends to the lowest heaven and calls out to whoever will ask, seek, and be forgiven (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145).
Is the last third of the night the same as Tahajjud time?
Almost. Tahajjud can be prayed any time after Isha until Fajr; the last third is the final, most recommended portion of that window. When people say "Tahajjud time" they usually mean the last third — this calculator shows both the window and the last third inside it.
Why isn't the last third a fixed time like 2 AM?
Because it is a proportion of your local night, not a clock time. A 9-hour summer night has thirds of 3 hours; a 14-hour winter night has thirds of about 4 hours 40 minutes. As Maghrib and Fajr shift through the year, the last third shifts with them.
How long is the last third of the night?
Exactly one third of your night: the time from Maghrib to Fajr divided by three. In most populated latitudes that works out between about 2 hours 40 minutes (short summer nights) and 4 hours 30 minutes (long winter nights). The calculator shows tonight's exact length for your city.
What if my mosque's times differ from the calculator?
Methods differ in the sun angles used for Fajr, and some mosques add precautionary minutes or follow a national timetable. Use the manual tab with your mosque's exact Maghrib and Fajr, or follow your mosque's time — the calculator is a planning aid, not a replacement for your local timetable.