: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader
Examples of fatwa in a Sentence
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Months before his death in 1989, Iran's Supreme Leader, the Ayatollah Khomeini, issued a religious fatwa calling for Rushdie's murder.
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Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
At trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York alleged Matar was acting on the fatwa.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
The federal case against Matar ties the attack back to the infamous fatwa that Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued against Rushdie in 1989 over his depiction of the prophet Muhammad in his novel The Satanic Verses.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
Nuclear Debates The development of nuclear weapons is officially banned in Iran, dating back to a fatwa, an Islamic legal ruling, issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
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Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
At trial, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of New York alleged Matar was acting on the fatwa.
—Scott Neuman, NPR, 16 May 2025
The federal case against Matar ties the attack back to the infamous fatwa that Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini issued against Rushdie in 1989 over his depiction of the prophet Muhammad in his novel The Satanic Verses.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 May 2025
Nuclear Debates The development of nuclear weapons is officially banned in Iran, dating back to a fatwa, an Islamic legal ruling, issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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