What does "fatwa" mean?
A formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.
Fatwa
/ˈfætwɑː/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.
- Grammar: fatwa is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: decree, edict, fetva, juridical opinion.
- Useful contrasts: no ruling, nonbinding opinion.
- Usage evidence: The fatwa against Salman Rushdie leading to his stabbing is proof that words can indeed be violence.
How to use "fatwa"
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- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fatwa" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
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- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
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- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fatwa" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
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Compare nearby meanings
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Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fatwa" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
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Final meaning check
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Definitions
Noun
- 1 A formal legal decree, opinion, or ruling issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority.
"The website contains fatwas on points of Islamic law that arise in court cases."
- 2 a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority wordnet
- 3 A decree issued by a mufti or other Islamic judicial authority that a person should be put to death, usually as punishment for committing apostasy or blasphemy. broadly, proscribed
- 4 A formal decree or ruling, or statement, issued by an authority of a religion other than Islam. broadly
- 5 An emphatic decree or opinion, especially one which condemns or criticizes. figuratively, informal
Verb
- 1 To issue a fatwa (noun noun sense 1) against (someone); specifically (loosely, erroneous), a fatwa imposing a ban or a death sentence. rare, transitive
"Unlike many writers and artists, Chahine had not been fatwaed by the militants, but he felt threatened nevertheless."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
no rulingnonbinding opinion
Example
"The fatwa against Salman Rushdie leading to his stabbing is proof that words can indeed be violence."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fatwa"?
Common synonyms include: decree, edict, fetva, juridical opinion, legal opinion, religious ruling.
How do you use "fatwa" in a sentence?
The fatwa against Salman Rushdie leading to his stabbing is proof that words can indeed be violence.
How do you pronounce "fatwa"?
Pronounced /ˈfætwɑː/.
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”) (whence مُفْتٍ (muftin, “mufti”), the active participle of the same verb: see mufti). The forms fetwa, fetwah are derived from Italian fetfà (obsolete), and directly from its etymon Ottoman Turkish فتوی (fetva) (modern Turkish fetva), from Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā): see above. Modern uses of noun noun sense 1.2 (“decree that a person should be put to death”) and the corresponding verb sense are probably influenced by the issuance of a fatwa on 14 February 1989 by the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1900 or 1902 – 1989), the Supreme Leader of Iran, calling for the British-American author Salman Rushdie (born 1947) and his publishers to be put to death for alleged blasphemy in his novel The Satanic Verses (1988). The plural form fatawa is borrowed from Arabic فَتَاوَى (fatāwā). The verb is derived from the noun.