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
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Iran's top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, against Trump on June 29. Mandy Taheri gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 July 2025 Khomeini issued a fatwa, or religious edict, ordering the execution of political prisoners, including large numbers of Kurdish dissidents. Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 28 June 2025 The Ulema Council has issued seven fatwas, or religious rulings, on climate change in the past decade. Lindsey McGinnis, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025 Months before his death in 1989, Iran's Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a religious fatwa calling for Rushdie's murder. Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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