---
title: "Muhurat in Arabian Astrology: Electing the Hour — Canopy"
description: "Muhurat, the Vedic auspicious hour, beside the Arabian art of election: muhurta, Abhijit and choghadiya explained, and what Canopy's tropical search does."
canonical: https://canopyastro.com/muhurat.html
markdown: https://canopyastro.com/muhurat.md
date_modified: 2026-10-25
publisher: Stellar Apps LLC
app: "Canopy: Arabian Astrology (iPhone, iPhone Duo and Android)"
---

Electional astrology

# Muhurat in Arabian astrology: the auspicious hour, elected the Arabian way

al-ikhtiyārāt — the choices

8 min read · From the classical sources · Updated October 25, 2026

## Muhurat and the Arabian art of election

**Muhurat**, the everyday form of the Sanskrit *muhūrta*, is the auspicious moment chosen by Vedic astrology, and the *shubh muhurat* a family looks up for a wedding or a housewarming is that moment read from the panchang. This page is not a panchang. It is for readers who know the muhurta and want its counterpart in Arabian astrology: *al-ikhtiyārāt*, “the choices”, the art of electing an hour that Canopy follows. Canopy does not compute muhurat, choghadiya, the panchang, Rahu kaal or the twenty-seven sidereal nakshatras, and it works in the tropical zodiac, not the sidereal.

Both arts hold that the moment of a beginning matters. They differ in the units of time they count, the zodiac they measure in, and whether good times are printed for a whole city or searched out for one undertaking.

## What a muhurta is, and what makes a shubh muhurat

A **muhurta** is first a unit of time. The Brāhmaṇas, among the oldest Vedic prose texts, reckon it as a thirtieth of the day and night, about forty-eight minutes: fifteen muhurtas for the daylight and fifteen for the night, each of two *ghaṭikās* of about twenty-four minutes. When the daylight itself is divided into fifteen, the daytime muhurtas stretch in summer and shrink in winter; forty-eight minutes is their length at the equinox. Each has its own name and quality, and rites are begun or put off by the quality of the muhurta at hand.

The word also names the chosen moment, and the Indian art of choosing it. A shubh muhurat, an auspicious muhurat, is found in the panchang, the almanac of “five limbs”: the *tithi* or lunar day, a twelve-degree step of the Moon away from the Sun; the *vāra*, the weekday; the *nakshatra*, the Moon's station of 13°20′; the *yoga*, a 13°20′ division of the Sun's and Moon's longitudes added together; and the *karaṇa*, half a tithi. A good muhurat wants these in good order, keeps clear of the day's inauspicious stretches, and in fuller work weighs the *lagna*, the rising sign.

### Abhijit muhurat at local midday

**Abhijit muhurat** is the eighth of the fifteen daytime muhurtas, the one that straddles local midday; the Sanskrit dictionaries gloss it as the twenty-four minutes before midday and the twenty-four after. That midday is the Sun's own noon, halfway between sunrise and sunset, not twelve o'clock, so it shifts with your longitude and the season. Its name means “the victorious”, and almanacs count it among the day's most auspicious stretches. Abhijit is also the Sanskrit name of the star [Vega](https://canopyastro.com/vega.html) and of the extra nakshatra that brings the older lists to twenty-eight.

## The difference between choghadiya and muhurat

The choghadiya is a coarser clock, and not a muhurta. It divides the daylight into eight equal parts and the night into eight more, each about an hour and a half; the name means “four ghaṭikās”. Each part takes one of seven qualities: Amrit, Shubh and Labh are the best, Chal is good, and Udveg, Kaal and Rog are avoided.

So the difference between choghadiya and muhurat is scale and method: a choghadiya is an eighth of the day or the night, read by its own quality alone, while a muhurat is a moment chosen from the whole panchang for one undertaking. Rahu kaal is another such eighth of the daylight, placed by the weekday and avoided when a muhurat is fixed. The hora, the Indian planetary hour, is nearest kin to the Arabian method: it opens each day with the lord of the weekday and runs in the same Chaldean order as the [planetary hours](https://canopyastro.com/planetary-hours.html) Canopy keeps.

## Ikhtiyārāt: electing the hour by the Arabian rules

The Arabic tradition, which drew on Greek, Persian and Indian learning alike, answered the same question with a chart. It does not divide the day into named slices; it casts the sky for a candidate moment and asks whether that sky suits the matter: whether the ruler of the hour is friendly to it, where the Moon is and what she is doing, which sign is rising and how strong its lord is, and whether the lords of the matter's houses are fit for their work. Canopy's rules are drawn from the classical sources, Sahl ibn Bishr, al-Bīrūnī and the Picatrix among them.

The Moon weighs as heavily as in the panchang: in a Canopy search, whether she is waxing, applying to Jupiter or Venus or leaving Mars or Saturn, the mansion she holds and, for many purposes, her sign all count.

Where a muhurat keeps clear of Rahu kaal, an election keeps clear of an afflicted Moon. Rahu kaal, named for Rahu, the Moon's north node, is a slot fixed by the weekday, whatever the node itself is doing. The Arabian rule looks at the sky: in a search for a named purpose, Canopy sets a window aside when the Moon is joined to the South Node, the Dragon's Tail, when she is combust (too near the Sun), void of course or in the *via combusta*, or when Mars or Saturn is rising. The electional astrology guide explains [how Canopy reads an election](https://canopyastro.com/electional-astrology.html#how-canopy-reads-an-election).

## Muhurat and the Arabian election side by side

The Vedic column is for comparison only; Canopy computes none of it.

*Muhurat and the Arabian election compared*

| Compared | Muhurat (Vedic) | Election (*al-ikhtiyārāt*) |
|---|---|---|
| Unit of time | The muhurta, about 48 minutes; the choghadiya, about 90 | The planetary hour, a twelfth of the daylight or the night |
| Zodiac | Sidereal, tied to the stars | Tropical, counted from the March equinox |
| The Moon's stations | 27 nakshatras of 13°20′ | 28 mansions of 12°51′26″ |
| The almanac | The panchang's five limbs | None; the sky is cast for each candidate moment |
| What is avoided | Rahu kaal, other inauspicious stretches, poor panchang limbs | An afflicted Moon, Mars or Saturn rising, each purpose's own faults |
| What you get | A time listed for the day, or chosen by an astrologer | Windows ranked inside a range you set, for the purpose you name |
| In Canopy | Not computed | Computed |

Through precession the two zodiacs now begin about 24° apart, so the Moon's Arabian mansion and her nakshatra often carry different names on the same night; the guide to the [nakshatra and the Arabian mansion](https://canopyastro.com/nakshatra.html) works through an example.

## Muhurat occasions and Canopy's sixteen purposes

Eight of Canopy's sixteen purposes stand close to occasions a shubh muhurat is often sought for. The match is of subject, not of method: each is searched by the Arabian rules for its kind of matter, never by the panchang.

*Common occasions and the nearest Canopy purpose*

| Occasion | Nearest Canopy purpose | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| A wedding (*vivāh*) | Wedding Day & Marriage, *al-Nikāḥ* | [Wedding date astrology](https://canopyastro.com/wedding-date-astrology.html) |
| An engagement (*sagāī*) | Proposals & Engagements, *al-Khiṭbah* | [The best time to propose](https://canopyastro.com/proposal-astrology.html) |
| Buying or entering a home (*griha pravesh*) | Property & Real Estate, *Shirāʾ al-ʿAqār* | [The best time to buy a house](https://canopyastro.com/buying-a-house-astrology.html) |
| Opening a shop or a business | Launch Business or Product, *Ibtidāʾ al-Tijārah* | [The best day to launch a business](https://canopyastro.com/launch-a-business-astrology.html) |
| Setting out on a journey (*yātrā*) | Travel & Journeys, *al-Safar* | [The best day to travel](https://canopyastro.com/best-time-to-travel-astrology.html) |
| Surgery or the start of treatment | Medical Procedures & Healing, *al-ʿIlāj wa al-Shifāʾ* | [The best day for surgery](https://canopyastro.com/surgery-astrology.html) |
| Signing an agreement | Signing Contracts & Agreements, *al-ʿUqūd wa al-Mawāthīq* | [The best day to sign a contract](https://canopyastro.com/contract-signing-astrology.html) |
| An investment | Investments & Financial Decisions, *al-Māl wa al-Istithmār* | [The best day to invest money](https://canopyastro.com/investment-astrology.html) |

Medical Procedures & Healing is traditional timing only: astrological guidance, not medical advice, and never a reason to delay care. The other eight cover romance, friendship, law and work; all sixteen are in [everything Canopy's elections engine can time](https://canopyastro.com/electional-astrology.html#everything-canopys-elections-engine-can-time). A naming ceremony (*nāmakaraṇa*), a child's first haircut (*muṇḍan*), the sacred-thread ceremony (*upanayana*) and a vehicle purchase have no purpose in Canopy.

## Finding an elected window in Canopy

In the app, open Elections, choose Events and, under “What are you electing for?”, pick the purpose. Set From and To: the range opens on the next three months and runs to 183 days, about six months. Check the Location card, since the hours and the rising sign are worked out for the place, then tap Find Best Moments.

Where a panchang gives a whole city the same muhurtas, the search compares moments across your own range for the one matter you named. Only windows rated Good or Excellent appear, sorted by Soonest or Best Quality; a window struck by a fault is simply set aside. Each card gives the time, the Ascendant, the Midheaven, the ruler of the hour, the first three factors in its favor and, once your birth data is entered, a line on your chart. Tap a card for Election Details, with Why this time?, Save to Calendar and Set Reminder.

Your birth chart enters as a small, bounded adjustment, capped at ten points either way; Canopy compares a moment with one chart, yours, never two people's. It does not compute the day's muhurtas: for the present moment by the Arabian measures, this site's free tools show the [current planetary hour](https://canopyastro.com/planetary-hours.html#planetary-hour-now) and [tonight's lunar mansion](https://canopyastro.com/lunar-mansions.html#tonight), read together in the guide to [auspicious time today](https://canopyastro.com/auspicious-time-today.html).

![Canopy on iPhone Duo in Coffee Cream: the Elections screen on the left page, and on the right page the Election Results list for a Launch Business or Product search, with the window chips, the sort control and the ranked windows](https://canopyastro.com/images/app/duo/coffee-cream/25-election-results-list-800.webp)

![Canopy on iPhone Duo in Midnight: the Elections screen on the left page, and on the right page the Election Results list for a Launch Business or Product search, with the window chips, the sort control and the ranked windows](https://canopyastro.com/images/app/duo/midnight/25-election-results-list-800.webp)

*On iPhone Duo, in Coffee Cream and Midnight: the kinds of election on the left, ranked results on the right, here for a business launch; every purpose lists its windows the same way.*

Find the window for what you mean to begin.

[Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canopy-ancient-arabian-astro/id6780314504?pt=638207&ct=seo-in-muhurat&mt=8&ppid=61bd8927-5781-4c03-84cb-aefdfbbaaffb)

[Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stellarappsllc.com.canopy&referrer=utm_source%3Dcanopyastro%26utm_medium%3Dseo%26utm_campaign%3Dinline-muhurat&listing=elections-events)

Free to download · 7-day free trial where offered · then a subscription · **Supports iPhone Duo**

## Questions

**What is muhurat?**

Muhurat, from the Sanskrit *muhūrta*, is a thirtieth of the day and night, about forty-eight minutes, and by extension an auspicious moment that Vedic astrology chooses from the panchang for a rite or an undertaking. Its Arabian counterpart, the election, *al-ikhtiyārāt*, casts the sky for each candidate moment instead; that is the art Canopy follows.

**What is the shubh muhurat today?**

It is read from a panchang cast for your city, with the day's tithi, nakshatra, Abhijit muhurat, choghadiyas and Rahu kaal. Canopy computes none of these. For the present moment by the Arabian measures, this site's free tools give the [current planetary hour](https://canopyastro.com/planetary-hours.html#planetary-hour-now) and [tonight's lunar mansion](https://canopyastro.com/lunar-mansions.html#tonight); for a named undertaking, Canopy's Elections search a range you set for the strongest windows.

**What is Abhijit muhurat?**

The eighth of the fifteen daytime muhurtas, the one that straddles local midday: about twenty-four minutes either side of the Sun's own noon, halfway between sunrise and sunset. Its name means “the victorious”, and almanacs count it among the day's most auspicious stretches. Canopy does not calculate it.

**What is the difference between choghadiya and muhurat?**

Scale and method. A muhurta is about forty-eight minutes, and a muhurat in the wider sense is a moment chosen from the whole panchang. A choghadiya is an eighth of the daylight or the night, about an hour and a half, read by one of seven qualities, from Amrit, Shubh and Labh to Udveg, Kaal and Rog. Canopy computes neither.

**Is muhurta the same as electional astrology?**

Muhurta is its Indian form, the choosing of a moment to begin. The Arabian form, *al-ikhtiyārāt*, casts a chart for each candidate moment in the tropical zodiac and judges the ruler of the hour, the Moon and the rising sign, where a muhurat reads the panchang and counts the nakshatras in the sidereal zodiac. Canopy follows the Arabian form.

**Does Canopy calculate muhurat, choghadiya or Rahu kaal?**

No. Canopy computes no muhurat, choghadiya, Rahu kaal, panchang or sidereal nakshatras. It works in the tropical zodiac, keeps the planetary hours and the twenty-eight Arabian lunar mansions, and its Elections search up to six months for windows that suit one of sixteen purposes. None of those windows is a muhurat.

## Keep reading

- [Electional astrology](https://canopyastro.com/electional-astrology.html) — al-ikhtiyārāt
- [Nakshatra](https://canopyastro.com/nakshatra.html) — manzil
- [Planetary hours](https://canopyastro.com/planetary-hours.html) — sāʿāt al-kawākib

## Elect the hour the Arabian way.

Canopy searches up to six months for the windows that suit what you mean to begin, with rules drawn from the classical sources.

[Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/canopy-ancient-arabian-astro/id6780314504?pt=638207&ct=seo-muhurat&mt=8&ppid=61bd8927-5781-4c03-84cb-aefdfbbaaffb)

[Get it on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=stellarappsllc.com.canopy&referrer=utm_source%3Dcanopyastro%26utm_medium%3Dseo%26utm_campaign%3Dmuhurat&listing=elections-events)

![QR code that opens Canopy in the App Store or Google Play](https://canopyastro.com/images/qr-get-canopy.svg)

On a computer? Scan with your phone's camera to get Canopy.

Featured in [Thrive Insider](https://thriveinsider.com/business/canopy-ancient-arabian-astrology-app/)

---

*Markdown rendering of https://canopyastro.com/muhurat.html. Readings in Canopy are drawn from the classical Arabic sources; the HTML page is the canonical version.*