What does fatwah mean?
A fatwah is a formal legal opinion on a matter of Islamic law, issued by a qualified religious jurist known as a mufti, usually in answer to a specific question about belief or practice. Contrary to popular impression, most fatwahs are routine: they concern matters such as dietary rules, inheritance, marriage, finance, and ritual observance, and they are advisory rather than binding, since Islam has no central church to enforce them. The word entered European languages from Arabic, where it literally denotes an answer or counsel given in response to a legal query. In the West, however, the term acquired ominous connotations after high-profile rulings of the late twentieth century, notably the 1989 pronouncement against the novelist Salman Rushdie, and journalists sometimes use it loosely for any stern clerical edict. The spelling "fatwah" is a variant of the more standard English form "fatwa". Knowing the word's real meaning helps separate sensational headlines from what a fatwah actually is: scholarly guidance, not a sentence.
nounA formal legal opinion or ruling on Islamic law given by a qualified religious scholar (mufti). The spelling "fatwah" is a variant of the more standard "fatwa".
- A formal opinion or ruling on a point of Islamic law issued by a qualified scholar (mufti), typically in response to a question.
- (By loose extension, especially in Western media) any authoritative-sounding religious decree or call to action attributed to Islamic clerics.
"The senior cleric issued a fatwah declaring that the new banking practice was permissible under Islamic law."
"The mufti's office issued a fatwah permitting Muslims in the region to break their fast while travelling."
"After the controversial novel appeared, some clerics called for a boycott, and one hardline preacher went so far as to pronounce a fatwah against its author."
Both "fatwahs" and "fatwas" are used; "fatwas" is more common in modern English-language journalism and reference works.
"Over the years the grand mufti's office has issued hundreds of fatwahs on commercial and family law."
Though often imagined in the West as a death sentence, the vast majority of fatwahs are mundane rulings on everyday questions like prayer, diet, and finance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fatwah
The word derives from Arabic فتوى (fatwā), meaning a formal answer or legal opinion delivered by a mufti; the root relates to Arabic verbs of deciding and giving counsel, and the institution of iftaʾ (the issuing of fatwas) developed within classical Islamic jurisprudence. It passed into European languages through scholarship on Ottoman and Indian Islamic law from around the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, with English spellings varying between "fatwa", "fetva", and "fatwah". Related words in the same family include the title "mufti", the scholar empowered to issue such opinions. The variant spelling "fatwah" reflects transliteration of the Arabic long final vowel but has never displaced the simpler "fatwa" in standard English dictionaries.
How fatwah is actually used
The preferred spelling in English-language reference works is usually "fatwa"; "fatwah" appears as a variant reflecting transliteration of the Arabic ending. In Islamic tradition, a fatwah is not legally binding on all Muslims — it is an advisory opinion, and individuals may follow a different scholar's view. In Western media the word has taken on connotations of menace largely because of the 1989 ruling against Salman Rushdie, which is unrepresentative of ordinary usage.
Easily confused with fatwah
"Fatah" is a Palestinian political party, whereas a "fatwah" is a formal legal opinion in Islamic law.