Al-Azhar University shared a festive video on its official Facebook page, featuring a Filipino student named Murshidi Qamaruddin Salandab, who sings joyfully to welcome the holy month of Ramadan. This celebration underscores Al-Azhar's commitment to showcasing diverse cultural contributions to Islamic traditions, as highlighted by the talents of international students.

The announcement regarding the commencement of Ramadan comes from the Egyptian Fatwa House, declaring that Wednesday marks the completion of Shaban, with the first day of Ramadan being Thursday, February 19. This decision was made after the sighting of the Ramadan crescent moon proved unsuccessful, adhering to the traditional legal criteria that govern the lunar calendar in Islamic practice.

Reports from the Helwan Observatory noted that although scientific evidence could confirm the crescent's visibility, actual sighting was impeded due to pollution and dust in the atmosphere. Such challenges loomed large over the moon sighting efforts, leading to the Fatwa House's reliance on the official declaration of the Grand Mufti of Egypt to set the Islamic month’s beginning, emphasizing the intersection of traditional practices with contemporary challenges in moon sighting.