Ramadan in UAE: Meet a police cannon firer who is continuing a Sharjah tradition from the 1930s

Sharjah police officer Mohamed Talib, who has been firing the Iftar cannon for the last six years, sees himself as an upholder of the tradition that has been around in the emirate since the 1930s.

Seeking rewards from God

For Talib, an officer from Sharjah police's special tasks department, firing cannons is volunteering work. “I do it [alongside] my police work duty during the holy month of Ramadan to get rewards from God, to bring joy to worshippers", he explained.

"I decided to volunteer to fire the cannon in 2016, because it gives me a feeling of joy, by bringing happiness to [members of the] Muslim community, and also getting a reward from God,” he added.

"When my boss, Major Ali Khalifa, asked for volunteers to fire the cannon, I was the first [one] to accept being part of the team. It reminded me of when I was in school, and my teacher asked for a volunteer to ring the bell to announce the beginning or ending of class or break time. The sound of the bell makes students very happy – so I decided to volunteer to fire the alarm to [bring that joy] to others.

Recalling childhood

"When I was a kid, this tradition was especially important for me, as the sound of the big bang [signals] fun and excitement for me and [other] children, along with sweets and other meals, and special activities prepared for us to enjoy the spirit of the holy month.

We would go outside to the back of the front yard to listen to the sound of the [cannon]. As soon as it was fired, we would run inside and inform [our] elders to start breaking their fasts with dates and fruits."

Training and rehearsals to fire cannon

As volunteers, we were trained to fire the cannon. We [would] conduct rehearsals before the holy month of Ramadan until we [got] used to it. Despite [the fact that] we [would] miss Iftar with [our] family members, it was still great fun.

I’m so proud to fire the cannon to announce the holy month or Iftar time. I feel so delighted to instil joy and happiness in the hearts of Muslims in Sharjah. The cannon is fired once every day to announce Iftar, [and] twice in a row to announce Eid.

Since Sharjah's residents have been accustomed to the sound of the cannon [during] Ramadan since 1930, I love to be the source of [that] sound, which can be heard about 8 to 10 kilometres around to announce Iftar time.

We are a team of three or four officers who volunteered to fire the cannon. We all stand behind the machines, and when we receive an order to fire the gunner, I would use a rope and lanyard to do so, which allowed me to be further away from the cannon [before] ignition."

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• UAE
• Sharjah