noun

fatwa

FAT-wah/ˈfætwɑː/

A ruling on Islamic law issued by a qualified religious scholar.

The scholar issues a fatwa about dividing inherited property during the consultation.

An Islamic scholar issues a written opinion during a private consultation about dividing inherited property, with scholarly reference books and a concrete property-allocation diagram reinforcing the legal context rather than a sermon or judicial sentence.

Etymology

fatwaArabiclegal decision given by a mufti

Arabic fetwa names a decision given by a mufti and is related to a verb meaning “instruct by a legal decision.” This connects the English sense to authoritative religious legal guidance.

In context

SOAS University of London230:02

follow the income Sharia uh he also argued that Sultans should not go against Deen and ulama should follow and teach uh the Quran to people and never give any fatwa that is against uh against the Sharia

Conference on the Turk-o-Tajik World Coalescence of Arabic, Turkic, and Persian Traditions, Day 1

More examples

She consults a qualified scholar for a fatwa about fasting.
The fatwa explains whether the loan complies with Islamic law.
Different scholars may issue different fatwas on the same question.

Forms

fatwa · fatwas

Similar words

ruling: Covers decisions by courts and other authorities, not just Islamic scholars.
opinion: Can express any judgment, without requiring religious or legal authority.