mufti

American  

[muhf-tee] / ˈmʌf ti /

noun

muftis plural

1. civilian clothes, in contrast with military or other uniforms, or as worn by a person who usually wears a uniform.

2. a Muslim jurist expert in the religious law.

3. (in the Ottoman Empire) a deputy of the chief Muslim legal adviser to the Sultan.

4. (initial capital letter) Grand Mufti.

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mufti ¹ British  

/ ˈmʌftɪ /

noun

1. a Muslim legal expert and adviser on the law of the Koran

2. (in the former Ottoman empire) the leader of the religious community

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mufti ² British  

/ ˈmʌftɪ /

noun

1. civilian dress, esp as worn by a person who normally wears a military uniform

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• muftis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mufti

First recorded in 1580–90, mufti is from the Arabic word muftī literally, “a person who delivers a judgment,” originally a Muslim legal adviser; sense of mufti def. 1 arises from the legal adviser being a civil official

Explanation

A mufti is an Islamic scholar who is legally able to rule on various religious and personal matters. In some places, people going through a divorce might need the help of a mufti. In Islamic countries, muftis are officials who are authorized to make legal decisions or help judges in deciding cases. Most often, they give advice about inheritance, marriage, divorce, and other civil issues. The word mufti means "judge" in Arabic. The secondary meaning of mufti is "ordinary clothes," when they're worn by people who usually wear a uniform. So a soldier wearing civilian clothes might be said to be in mufti.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mufti muftis

The mufti conspired with Iraqi soldiers to overthrow the pro-British Prince Regent Abd al-Ilah of Hejaz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

Akhmed Tamim, supreme mufti of Ukraine and head of the Religious Administration of Ukrainian Muslims, echoed other members of the delegation.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2023

On Wednesday he met with Tunisia's chief rabbi, chief Christian archbishop and Muslim mufti, saying that receiving clerics sent a "historical message" of coexistence and tolerance.

From Reuters ● May 17, 2023

Lebanon’s grand mufti, the top cleric for Sunnis, described the charges as an attack on “the office of the prime minister.”

From New York Times ● Oct. 28, 2021

“I am representing good Muslims,” the mufti said.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

“For example, different jurists and muftis will put forth various, sometimes conflicting fatwas. On which fatwa should the police or any other agents of the state rely when enforcing Islam?”

From The Guardian ● May 27, 2015

Muslim leaders, the muftis, have apparently worked out a kind of modus vivendi with the government; in exchange for being allowed to practice their religion they often support the government on major policy questions.

From Time Magazine Archive

Sheik-ul-Islam—the chief of all the muftis and Ulemas.

From The Lion of Janina The Last Days of the Janissaries by Jókai, Mór

The muftis explained that that portent signified that the glory of the Padishah would reach the heavens, and that he would be the ruler to crush Kamenyets,—an obstacle hitherto invincible.

From Pan Michael An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey. by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Oh, wake thee, my dearest! the muftis are still, And the tschocadars sleep on the Franguestan hill; No sullen aleikoum—no derveesh is here, And the mosques are all watching by lonely Kashmere!

From The Bon Gaultier Ballads by Doyle, Richard