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fatwa

American

[faht-wah] / ˈfɑt wɑ /

noun

an Islamic religious decree issued by the ʿulama.

fatwa British

/ ˈfætwɑː /

noun

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

"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

Etymology

Origin of fatwa

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

Vocabulary lists containing fatwa

"In a Scattered Protest, Saudi Women Take the Wheel," Vocabulary from the news article

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

fatwa

When asked if he believed Matar was motivated to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie replied: "I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions," according to US media.

From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026

Ditto for Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s encounter with wolves in the garden of his villa in Vermont, or Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa on Salman Rushdie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

He has not said whether his alleged actions were influenced by the fatwa.

From BBC ● Feb. 10, 2025

His fatwa highlights that, according to Islamic law, a military raid should not trigger a response that exceeds the intended benefits of the action.

From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2024

AP: I remember you writing about how, after the fatwa, there was a period where fiction was a struggle.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023