fatwa
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fatwa
- /ˈfætwɑː/ UK
- /-wə/ UK
- /ˈfætwɑ/ US
- /ˈfɑt-/ US
- /ˈfət-/ US
- /ˈfætɑːwɑː/ UK
- /ˈfætɑwɑ/ US
- /-wə/ US
Where it comes from
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 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.
noun fatwas · fatawa · fetwa · fetwah · fatwah · futwa
- 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.
- 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.
- A formal decree or ruling, or statement, issued by an authority of a religion other than Islam.
- An emphatic decree or opinion, especially one which condemns or criticizes.
verb fatwas · fatwaing · fatwaed · fatwa'd
- To issue a fatwa (noun sense 1) against (someone); specifically (loosely, erroneous), a fatwa imposing a ban or a death sentence. Unlike many writers and artists, Chahine had not been fatwaed by the militants, but he felt threatened nevertheless.
Translations
Every language
noun formal ruling issued by an Islamic judicial authority
| Español | fetua, fatua, fatwa |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 파트와 pateuwa |
| 日本語 | ファトワー fatowā |
| 中文 | 法特瓦 fǎtéwǎ |
| हिन्दी | फ़तवा fatvā, फतवा phatvā |
| Português | fátua |
| Français | fatwa |
| Deutsch | Fatwa |
| Italiano | fatwa |
| Ελληνικά | φετφάς fetfás, φετβάς fetvás, φάτουα fátoua |
| Русский | фе́тва fétva, фетва́ fetvá, фа́тва fátva, фатва́ fatvá |
| العربية | فَتْوَى fatwā |
| עברית | פַתְוָה, פתווה fatvá |
Talk about this word "fatwa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fatwa. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. fatwa. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fatwa "fatwa." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fatwa.Cite this
@misc{fatwa_2026,
title = {fatwa},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fatwa},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
