Al-Zaieem answers all your questions about Egypt. Ask him your question here.

Cannon blast

A friend told me that the cannon shot announcing the start of fasting before sunrise and then announcing the break of fasting at sunset was invented by Napoleon during his Egyptian campaign. If true, then according to my friend this is a "bidaa" that was introduced into Islam by the West and should not be followed. Is this true and if not, then who introduced the cannon as a signal of fasting/fast-breaking in our holy month?

Your question was intriguing enough that Al Zaieem referred it to his trusted religious advisor: Dr Muhammed Eissa, an Azhar graduate and distinguished Arabic professor at the University of Michigan.
Dr Eissa admitted to having no idea just who introduced the cannon to announce the end of the daily Ramadan fast. However he said that labeling the act as “bidaa” is “a sign of backwardness and close-mindedness.”
He then related to Al Zaieem a tale from the earliest days of Islam, when the fledgling Muslim community was so small and close-knit that not even the now-trademark “adhaan” call to prayer was necessary.
“When the number of Muslims increased and their residences became distant from the mosque and each other, they thought of introducing a means of announcing the time of prayers. Many suggestions were made including ringing a bell like Christians, lighting a fire like the Zoroastrians, sounding a horn like the Jews, erecting a banner or beating a drum. They did not reach any consensus to adopting any of those means. It is narrated that Abdullah ibn Zayd, one of (Prophet Muhammed’s) companions, was very concerned over that issue and he saw an angel in his dream who taught him the adhaan as we know it now. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) gave his permission to use the adhaan and signaled Bilaal, who was known for his good voice, to start using it.
“The merit of the story is that the Prophet and his companions did not feel comfortable using any means that is used by another religion and rather approved a different one that became a landmark for Muslims wherever they are. Firing a cannon is not known to be used by any other religion to announce or mark a ritualistic event. I see no harm and, definitely no bidaa, in using it. Moreover, cannons have been used during the time and in places where revered and highly respected scholars of Islam lived without any recorded objection on their part. The wide spread of modern media has placed cannons out of date. They are becoming museum collectables and raising questions about the rule of using them is an archeological curiosity.”

Al-Zaieem answers all your questions about Egypt. Ask him your question here.

Browse previous Ask Al-Zaieem columns here.

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