fatwa
pronunciation
How to pronounce fatwa in British English:
UK [ˈfætwɑ:]
How to pronounce fatwa in American English:
US [ˈfɑtˌwɑ]
-
- Noun:
- a ruling on a point of Islamic law that is given by a recognized authority
Word Origin
- fatwa (n.)
- 1620s, from Arabic fetwa "a decision given by a mufti," related to fata "to instruct by a legal decision." Popularized in English 1989 when Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issued a ruling sentencing author Salman Rushdie to death for publishing "The Satanic Verses" (1988). This was lifted 1998.
Example
- 1. In december ahmad raissouni , a hardline cleric , issued a fatwa calling on moroccans to boycott supermarkets that sell alcohol .
- 2. Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for his death .
- 3. King abdullah has said nothing about the fatwa .
- 4. One elderly cleric recently issued a fatwa on his website , decreeing that anyone who advocated mixing sexes was an enemy of islam and should be killed .
- 5. Modern muslims seeking a fatwa on a practical matter need no longer go to a local mosque , or to the state-salaried officials , or muftis , used by many sunni muslim countries as arbiters .