: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader
Examples of fatwa in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In fact, then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had issued a fatwa, or religious decree, against nuclear weapons, according to Shibley Telhami, the Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland.
—
Greg Myre, NPR, 8 Apr. 2026
Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had issued a fatwa, a legal ruling under Islamic law, banning a nuclear bomb.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
The policies pursued by the Islamic Republic in the 1990s—the death fatwa against Salman Rushdie and attempts to kill his associates, the terror bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina—gained it nothing but opprobrium.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
The West may dismiss this as irrelevant, but to a Shia ayatollah and his followers, a fatwa is a very strong statement.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
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.
Greg Myre, NPR, 8 Apr. 2026
Former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had issued a fatwa, a legal ruling under Islamic law, banning a nuclear bomb.
—Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026
The policies pursued by the Islamic Republic in the 1990s—the death fatwa against Salman Rushdie and attempts to kill his associates, the terror bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina—gained it nothing but opprobrium.
—Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2026
The West may dismiss this as irrelevant, but to a Shia ayatollah and his followers, a fatwa is a very strong statement.
—Mishal Husain, Bloomberg, 13 Mar. 2026
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 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
