Islam in Taiwan
A mosque on Xinsheng South Road, and a community from many places
Taipei's first mosque opened in 1948 in a Japanese-style house on Lishui Street. As more Muslims came to Taiwan in the 1950s it became too small, and the Taipei Grand Mosque on Xinsheng South Road was completed in 1960: a prayer hall under a dome 15 metres high, with two minarets of over 20 metres. In 1999 Taipei City designated it a municipal monument, and it remains the centre of Muslim life in the capital.
Today the community includes many people from abroad. Indonesians are the largest group of migrant workers, about 272,000 at the end of 2024 according to the Ministry of Labor, and most of them are Muslim. The Taipei Grand Mosque posts its notices in Chinese, English, Indonesian and Urdu, and there are mosques in other cities too.
Prayer times
Prayer times in Taiwan: what to choose
The Taipei Grand Mosque bases its Fajr time on the Muslim World League standard (18°), and the mosques in Taipei and across Taiwan follow the Hanafi time for Asr. Awwab has both: in our checks against the mosque's Ramadan 2026 timetable, Fajr came within a minute.
Choose them once in Settings: Awwab starts on the Egyptian method and does not switch by region. Then keep these differences in mind:
- Maghrib is calculated at sunset. For breaking the fast, the Taipei Grand Mosque adds four minutes after sunset as a precaution, so break the fast with the mosque's time.
- Isha: the Muslim World League puts Isha at 17°. If your mosque's Isha is later, Univ. of Islamic Sciences (Karachi) (18°/18°) puts it about 4 to 6 minutes later, with the same Fajr.
- Asr: if you follow the Shafi'i, Maliki or Hanbali school, choose it, or I'm not sure. Asr then begins when a shadow equals the object's height, about 45 to 80 minutes earlier than the Hanafi time.
- Jumu'ah: on Fridays the app shows Jumu'ah in place of Dhuhr. At the Taipei Grand Mosque the Friday adhan is at 12:15 pm all year.
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 island, many minutes
Taipei's timetable is not Kaohsiung's
All of Taiwan keeps the same clock, but the sun does not reach every city at once. On 21 June, Fajr begins at about 3:35 am in Taipei and 3:48 am in Kaohsiung; on 21 December, the sun sets at about 5:09 pm in Taipei and 5:19 pm in Kaohsiung. The Taipei Grand Mosque's own Ramadan timetable asks people in central and southern Taiwan to add 5 to 8 minutes.
Awwab calculates every prayer from your own position, so there is nothing to add: the times follow the sun where you are. From Taiwan the Qibla lies a little north of west, about 287° from true north.
Prayer at work and at home
The lock starts with the prayer time, and waits for you
Many Muslims in Taiwan pray at work or at home rather than at a mosque, and the Chinese Muslim Association has asked employers to give Muslim workers a private space to pray when they cannot get to one.
Awwab's lock begins the moment the prayer time begins. If you pray a little later, after a task or in congregation, the apps you chose simply wait until you've prayed and marked it. If you truly need one first, a short snooze opens them for the time you set, from 1 to 30 minutes.
Ramadan and the Eids
The moon and the dates
The Taipei Grand Mosque announces the start of Ramadan after looking for the new moon: if it is seen in Taiwan, or its sighting is confirmed in neighbouring countries, fasting begins the next day. In 2026 Ramadan began in Taiwan on Thursday 19 February. For Eid al-Adha 2026 the mosque followed the sighting of the moon in Saudi Arabia. Results are posted on the mosque's website and Facebook page.
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 and can differ from the mosque's announcement by a day, so follow your mosque for fasting and Eid. 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 in the Taiwan App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch, and on Google Play for Android.
Qibla in Taiwan
In Taiwan, the Qibla is 287° from true north: west-north-west.
| City | Qibla | Direction | Distance to the Kaaba (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei | 287° | west-north-west | 8,223 |
| New Taipei City | 287° | west-north-west | 8,216 |
| Taichung | 287° | west-north-west | 8,170 |
| Kaohsiung City | 287° | west-north-west | 8,183 |
| Tainan | 287° | west-north-west | 8,160 |
| Banqiao District | 287° | west-north-west | 8,219 |
| Taoyuan | 287° | west-north-west | 8,203 |
| Hsinchu | 286° | west-north-west | 8,177 |
| Keelung | 287° | west-north-west | 8,242 |
| Fongshan District | 287° | west-north-west | 8,187 |
Questions
Is Awwab free in Taiwan?
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 Taiwan?
Muslim World League, chosen once in Settings, with Hanafi for Asr. The Taipei Grand Mosque bases its Fajr on the Muslim World League standard, and Taiwan's mosques follow the Hanafi Asr. If your mosque's Isha is later, try Univ. of Islamic Sciences (Karachi), which uses 18° for Isha.
I live in Taichung or Kaohsiung. Do I need to add minutes?
No. The Taipei Grand Mosque's printed timetable is for Taipei and asks central and southern Taiwan to add 5 to 8 minutes, but Awwab calculates for your exact location, so its times already fit where you are.
I follow the Shafi'i school. Which Asr should I choose?
Choose Shafi'i (or I'm not sure) in Settings. Asr then begins when a shadow equals the object's height, about 45 to 80 minutes earlier than the Hanafi Asr. The method for Fajr and Isha stays the same.
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 Taiwan the Taipei Grand Mosque announces the dates after the moon sighting, so follow it; 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, in Simplified Chinese, as well as in English, Arabic and 11 other languages. Traditional Chinese is not available yet; if your phone is set to it, you can choose 简体中文 in Settings → Language. This page is also in Traditional Chinese.
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. Awwab is on Google Play for Android, and on the App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch.