Islam in China
Thirteen centuries of the call to prayer
Islam reached China in its first century, by the overland Silk Roads into the north-west and by sea to southern trading ports such as Quanzhou. The Great Mosque of Xi'an, rebuilt in Chinese architectural style under the Ming dynasty, still shows how deeply the faith took root.
Today ten of China's ethnic groups are mostly Muslim; according to the government's 2018 white paper on religion, they number more than 20 million together. They include the Chinese-speaking Hui, found in towns and cities across the country, and the Uyghurs, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz of the north-west.
Prayer times
Prayer times in China: what to choose
China has no single national prayer timetable that every mosque follows: each mosque keeps its own. A good place to start is the Muslim World League method (Fajr 18°, Isha 17°), which Awwab has. Choose it once in Settings: Awwab starts on the Egyptian method and does not switch by country.
Then compare it with your mosque's times for a few days:
- Isha: some Chinese timetables use 18° for Isha as well. If your mosque's Isha is later, choose Univ. of Islamic Sciences (Karachi) (18°/18°), which puts Isha about 5 to 11 minutes later.
- Fajr: if your mosque's Fajr is earlier, the Egyptian method (19.5°) puts it about 8 to 20 minutes earlier, most of all in summer and in the north.
- Maghrib is calculated at sunset. Many mosques call it a few minutes later, so the lock can start a little before the adhan.
- Jumu'ah: on Fridays the app shows Jumu'ah in place of Dhuhr.
Times are calculated on your phone for exactly where you are and work offline. Manual minute adjustments are not in the app yet, so when the app and your mosque differ, pray with your mosque.
One clock, many suns
Beijing Time everywhere, but not the same sun
All of China keeps Beijing Time, yet the country is about 60 degrees of longitude wide, so the sun reaches its height hours apart. On 21 December, Dhuhr begins at about 12:12 in Beijing, 12:53 in Yinchuan, 14:07 in Ürümqi and 14:54 in Kashgar. In June, Isha in Ürümqi and Kashgar comes after midnight on Beijing Time.
Awwab calculates every prayer from your own position, so the times follow the sun where you are, not the clock in the capital. A timetable printed for another city can be off by an hour or more.
Asr, Ramadan and the Eids
Your madhab, and the moon
Most Hui Muslims follow the Hanafi school. Choose Hanafi in Settings and Asr comes when a shadow is twice the object's height, later than the other schools. If you follow another school, choose it, or I'm not sure for the standard calculation.
Awwab reminds you of Ramadan, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the Day of Arafah, both Eids, Ashura and the White Days. These dates follow the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar.
In China, the start of Ramadan and the day of Eid are set locally, so the app's date can be a day off. Follow the date your mosque announces. The five daily prayer times are not affected.
Inside the app
A companion for the whole day
Peace at each prayer, contentment through the day, and the joy of returning — gently, and on your own terms.
Prayer tracking, honest stats
Log the five prayers, keep a streak, and see your real consistency over weeks and months.
Qibla
A live compass that points to the Kaaba from wherever you are.
Adhkar, tasbih and the 99 Names
Morning and evening adhkar, a tasbih counter, the Beautiful Names of God, and duas from the Sunnah.
Knowledge quiz
Questions on creed, the Qur'an, the prophets and the Seerah, each answer shown with its source. Also free to play at awwab.app/play.
Heal
Private recovery programs for habits like smoking, without shame, locked with Face ID or Touch ID.
Period mode
For women: prayers are marked as excused and the lock pauses, kept especially private.
Islamic occasions
Reminders for Ramadan, the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the Day of Arafah, both Eids, Ashura and the White Days.
Apple Watch and widgets
Your next prayer and today's prayers on your wrist and Home Screen, marked with a tap.
The Shield (optional)
Want a little help staying present?
Completely optional. Awwab calls it the Shield: when it's time to pray, the apps you choose rest with you — and come back the moment you've prayed.
Choose the apps that can wait
Pick them through Apple's Screen Time. The choice stays on your phone, and Awwab never sees which apps they are.
They rest while you pray
When a prayer begins, those apps lock. Open one and you see a verse of the Qur'an and a way to your prayer, not a harsh “Blocked”.
Pray, and they come back
Mark the prayer as prayed and everything opens. If you truly need an app first, a short snooze lifts the lock for the time you set, from 1 to 30 minutes.
Free and private
No paywall, no ads, no tracking
Every feature is free. There is an optional supporter subscription for people who want to help the work continue; it unlocks nothing extra.
There is no account and no sign-in. The app shows no ads and has no analytics or tracking. Your prayers and settings live in your own private iCloud, and we never receive them.
Awwab is not offered in the mainland China App Store at the moment. The App Store buttons on this page open the Hong Kong App Store, where Awwab is listed; it can be downloaded with an Apple ID from Hong Kong or another region where the app is offered. The Android version is on Google Play, which is not offered in mainland China; we cannot say yet whether Awwab will come to Chinese Android app stores.
Qibla in China
In China, the Qibla lies between west-south-west and west-north-west: from 256° to 286° from true north, depending on the city.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shanghai | 285° | west-north-west | 8,032 |
| Chongqing | 279° | west | 6,671 |
| Chengdu | 277° | west | 6,417 |
| Beijing | 279° | west | 7,385 |
| Guangzhou | 285° | west-north-west | 7,471 |
| Shenzhen | 285° | west-north-west | 7,569 |
| Tianjin | 280° | west | 7,464 |
| Wuhan | 282° | west-north-west | 7,380 |
| Xi'an | 278° | west | 6,818 |
| Hangzhou | 284° | west-north-west | 7,938 |
Questions
Is Awwab free in China?
Yes. Every feature is free and the app has no ads. An optional supporter subscription exists for people who want to support the work; it unlocks nothing.
Which prayer-time method should I choose in China?
Start with Muslim World League, chosen once in Settings, and Hanafi for Asr if that is your school. There is no single national timetable, so compare with your mosque for a few days. If its Isha is later, try Univ. of Islamic Sciences (Karachi), which uses 18° for Isha.
Why is Dhuhr so late in Xinjiang?
Because all of China uses Beijing Time while the sun keeps local time. In Kashgar, solar noon comes close to 3 pm on Beijing Time. Awwab calculates from your own position, so its times are right for where you are.
When are Ramadan and Eid in 2027?
By the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar, Ramadan 1448 begins around 8 February 2027, Eid al-Fitr falls around 9 March and Eid al-Adha around 16 May 2027. In China the days are set locally, so follow your mosque; they can differ by a day.
Can I add or subtract minutes from a prayer time?
Not yet. Manual minute adjustments are not in the app today, so choose the closest method and follow your mosque when they differ.
Is the app available in Chinese?
Yes. Awwab is in Simplified Chinese, as well as in English, Arabic and 11 other languages. It starts in your phone's language; you can change it at any time in Settings → Language.
Can I download Awwab in mainland China?
Not from the mainland China App Store: Awwab is not offered there at the moment. It is listed in the Hong Kong App Store, which the buttons on this page open, and in many other regions, so it can be downloaded with an Apple ID from Hong Kong or another region where it is offered.
Does it work without the internet?
Yes. Prayer times and the Qibla are calculated on your phone, so they work offline.
Do I have to allow Screen Time?
Only for the lock. It is built on Apple's Screen Time, which you allow once. You can skip it during setup, and everything else in the app works without it. The list of apps you choose stays on your phone.
Is there an Android version?
Yes, on Google Play, but Google Play is not offered in mainland China, and we cannot say yet whether Awwab will come to Chinese Android app stores. Awwab is available now on iPhone and Apple Watch.