: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader
Examples of fatwa in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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
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.
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
Cite this Entry
“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share