: a legal opinion or decree handed down by an Islamic religious leader
Examples of fatwa in a Sentence
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Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasingly threatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s preachings as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t build one.
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CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa—a religious decree—calling for Rushdie's death in 1989.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasingly threatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t build one.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Rushdie was forced into hiding for a decade after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, calling for his death.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
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CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa—a religious decree—calling for Rushdie's death in 1989.
—Anderson Cooper, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2026
Iranian officials in recent years had also been increasingly threatening that the Islamic Republic could seek the bomb, even while its diplomats have pointed to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s statments as a binding fatwa, or religious edict, that Iran wouldn’t build one.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2026
Rushdie was forced into hiding for a decade after Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa against him, calling for his death.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, PEOPLE, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for fatwa
Cite this Entry
“Fatwa.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatwa. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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