fatwa

noun

fat·​wa ˈfət-wə How to pronounce fatwa (audio)
ˈfät-wä
: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader

Examples of fatwa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Matar is set to face a separate trial on federal terrorism charges, however, with an indictment alleging that his motives were connected to a terrorist organization’s endorsement of Khomeini’s fatwa. Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025 The following year, the nation’s late leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa, or edict, calling for Rushdie’s death. Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025 For example, Al-Azhar, a mosque and university complex considered to be a high authority in Sunni Islam, issued a fatwa on April 1 stating that fasting was not harmful but that a Muslim could decline to fast owing to fear of the virus. Geneive Abdo, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2020 The group then rescinded the fatwa under pressure from the government. Geneive Abdo, Foreign Affairs, 13 Aug. 2020 See all Example Sentences for fatwa 

Word History

Etymology

Arabic fatwā

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatwa was circa 1889

Dictionary Entries Near fatwa

Cite this Entry

“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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