: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader
Examples of fatwa in a Sentence
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That the idea of the possibility of weaponization, or at least the boast that Iran is capable of building a bomb, has been openly floated in the past year is an indication that a race for a bomb is not out of the question, despite Ayatollah Khamenei’s fatwa prohibiting it.
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Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
In recent weeks, at least one high-profile Iranian official has issued a fatwa, or ruling grounded in Islamic law, against the Republican and also against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
One such fatwa was the one issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the previous supreme leader, against author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York in 2022.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 30 June 2025
The fatwa from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi called on Muslims around the world to take a stand, according to the New York Sun.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
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Big Think, 25 Nov. 2025
In recent weeks, at least one high-profile Iranian official has issued a fatwa, or ruling grounded in Islamic law, against the Republican and also against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
One such fatwa was the one issued by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the previous supreme leader, against author Salman Rushdie, who was stabbed multiple times at the Chautauqua Institution in southwestern New York in 2022.
—Somayeh Malekian, ABC News, 30 June 2025
The fatwa from Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi called on Muslims around the world to take a stand, according to the New York Sun.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 29 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fatwa
Cite this Entry
“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 2 Dec. 2025.
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