fatwa

[ faht-wah ]

/ ˈfɑt wɑ /

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noun

an Islamic religious decree issued by the ʿulama.

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Origin of fatwa

First recorded in 1985–90, fatwa is from the Arabic word fatwā

Words nearby fatwa

fatty oil, fatty tumor, fatuitous, fatuity, fatuous, fatwa, fat-witted, fatwood, faubourg, faucal, faucaria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fatwa in a sentence

As a consequence, many local leaders began urging people not to vaccinate their kids, various districts banned vaccination teams, and the Taliban issued a fatwa against vaccination programs.
How the CIA’s fake vaccine program in Pakistan helped fuel the anti-vax movement|Hala Iqbal|February 1, 2021|Vox
Such communications are allowed only in cases of necessity, the fatwa says.
Egypt’s Fatwa Against Tinder: Clerics Ban Online Chatting|Nina Strochlic|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
An earlier fatwa request from a teenage girl asked if she could chat with boys on social media.
Egypt’s Fatwa Against Tinder: Clerics Ban Online Chatting|Nina Strochlic|September 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unfortunately, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh and his colleagues who issued the fatwa against The 99 fit that description.
Saudi Arabia’s Comic Book Fatwa|Christopher Dickey|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The president should confront Saudi leaders over the ludicrous fatwa against ‘The 99,’ a ground-breaking Muslim superhero comic.
Saudi Arabia’s Comic Book Fatwa|Christopher Dickey|March 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His corpse, which was subsequently dumped in the Bosphorus, had a fatwa pinned to it.
Poet and Rake, Lord Byron Was Also an Interventionist With Brains and Savvy|Michael Weiss|February 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fatwa of a Muhammadan law officer should be dispensed with in such cases.
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official|William Sleeman

British Dictionary definitions for fatwa

fatwa

fatwah

/ (ˈfætwɑː) /

noun

a non-binding judgment on a point of Islamic law given by a recognized religious authority

Word Origin for fatwa

Arabic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012