fatwa

noun

fat·​wa ˈfət-wə How to pronounce fatwa (audio)
ˈfät-wä
: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader

Examples of fatwa in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 Mojtaba Khamenei could issue a religious ruling, or fatwa, reversing his father’s earlier statements and ordering it to be used to make a weapon. — Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 11 Mar. 2026 That same weekend, Ayatollah Khomeini died in Iran, a few months after issuing a fatwa against Salman Rushdie. — Wyatt Williams, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 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 See All Example Sentences for fatwa

Word History

Etymology

Arabic fatwā

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fatwa was circa 1889

Browse Nearby Words

fatuously
fatwa
fat-witted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on fatwa

Nglish: Translation of fatwa for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fatwa

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