# fatwa
## English
### Etymology

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.

### Pronunciation

* Singular:
** (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈfætwɑː/
** Audio (Southern England):(file)
** (General American) IPA: /ˈfætwɑ/, /ˈfɑt-/, /ˈfət-/
** Hyphenation: fat‧wa
* Plural (fatawa):
** (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ˈfætɑːwɑː/
** (General American) IPA: /ˈfætɑwɑ/, /ˈfɑt-/, /ˈfət-/
** Hyphenation: fat‧a‧wa

### Noun

fatwa (plural fatwas or (rare) fatawa)
* (Islam)
** 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.
*** 2021 October 4, Reuters, “Lars Vilks, Swedish cartoonist who depicted Mohammed, killed in car crash”, in CNN‎:In 2015, one person was killed in Copenhagen at a meeting meant to mark the 25th anniversary of an Iranian fatwa against British writer Salman Rushdie, which Vilks attended.
** (by extension, loosely, proscribed) 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.
* (religion, by extension) A formal decree or ruling, or statement, issued by an authority of a religion other than Islam.
* (figurative, informal) An emphatic decree or opinion, especially one which condemns or criticizes.

#### Alternative forms

* fetwa, fetwah (archaic)
* fatwah, futwa, futwah (archaic)

#### Translations
### Verb

fatwa (third-person singular simple present fatwas, present participle fatwaing, simple past and past participle fatwaed)
* (transitive, rare) To issue a fatwa (noun sense 1) against (someone); specifically (loosely, erroneous), a fatwa imposing a ban or a death sentence.
** 1999, Mary Anne Weaver, “Life in the Alleys”, in A Portrait of Egypt: A Journey through the World of Militant Islam, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 141:Unlike many writers and artists, Chahine had not been fatwaed by the militants, but he felt threatened nevertheless.
** 2002, South Asia Politics, volume 1, New Delhi: Rashtriya Jagriti Sansthan, →OCLC, page 30, column 2:One wonders why these terrorists are not fatwaed.
** 2013 April 15, Katie Van Syckle, “Q&A: Salman Rushdie Talks ‘Midnight’s Children,’ Other Projects”, in Rolling Stone‎, New York, N.Y.: Penske Media Corporation, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2024-06-12:'I'm just beginning one,' says famously-fatwaed author of new novel [subtitle]An adjective use.
** 2015, Mohamed Gibril Sesay, “The Youth of Paradise”, in This Side of Nothingness […] (Sierra Leonean Writers Series), Freetown, Sierra Leone: Karantha Publishers, →ISBN, page 186:Ask Salman Rushdie. He was fatwaed for linking facts and fiction in ways that the mullahs say they should not be linked.

#### Translations
### References

* 1 2 3 “fatwa, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, July 2023; “fatwa, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

### Further reading

* fatwa on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* “fatwa”, in Collins English Dictionary.
* “fatwa” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2025.
* “fatwa”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
* “fatwa”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* tawaf

## Danish
### Etymology

From Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈfæd̥ʋa]

### Noun

fatwa c
* (Islam) fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)

#### Related terms

* mufti

## Finnish
### Etymology

Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈfɑtwɑ/, [ˈfɑ̝t̪wɑ̝]
* IPA: /ˈfɑtʋɑ/, [ˈfɑ̝t̪ʋɑ̝]
* Rhymes: -ɑtwɑ
* Hyphenation: fat‧wa

### Noun

fatwa
* (Islam) fatwa

#### Declension

Possessive forms of fatwa (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
fatwani
fatwani
accusative
nom.
fatwani
fatwani
gen.
fatwani
genitive
fatwani
fatwojeni fatwaini $^{rare}$
partitive
fatwaani
fatwojani
inessive
fatwassani
fatwoissani
elative
fatwastani
fatwoistani
illative
fatwaani
fatwoihini
adessive
fatwallani
fatwoillani
ablative
fatwaltani
fatwoiltani
allative
fatwalleni
fatwoilleni
essive
fatwanani
fatwoinani
translative
fatwakseni
fatwoikseni
abessive
fatwattani
fatwoittani
instructive
comitative
—fatwoineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
fatwasi
fatwasi
accusative
nom.
fatwasi
fatwasi
gen.
fatwasi
genitive
fatwasi
fatwojesi fatwaisi $^{rare}$
partitive
fatwaasi
fatwojasi
inessive
fatwassasi
fatwoissasi
elative
fatwastasi
fatwoistasi
illative
fatwaasi
fatwoihisi
adessive
fatwallasi
fatwoillasi
ablative
fatwaltasi
fatwoiltasi
allative
fatwallesi
fatwoillesi
essive
fatwanasi
fatwoinasi
translative
fatwaksesi
fatwoiksesi
abessive
fatwattasi
fatwoittasi
instructive
comitative
—fatwoinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
fatwamme
fatwamme
accusative
nom.
fatwamme
fatwamme
gen.
fatwamme
genitive
fatwamme
fatwojemme fatwaimme $^{rare}$
partitive
fatwaamme
fatwojamme
inessive
fatwassamme
fatwoissamme
elative
fatwastamme
fatwoistamme
illative
fatwaamme
fatwoihimme
adessive
fatwallamme
fatwoillamme
ablative
fatwaltamme
fatwoiltamme
allative
fatwallemme
fatwoillemme
essive
fatwanamme
fatwoinamme
translative
fatwaksemme
fatwoiksemme
abessive
fatwattamme
fatwoittamme
instructive
comitative
—fatwoinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
fatwanne
fatwanne
accusative
nom.
fatwanne
fatwanne
gen.
fatwanne
genitive
fatwanne
fatwojenne fatwainne $^{rare}$
partitive
fatwaanne
fatwojanne
inessive
fatwassanne
fatwoissanne
elative
fatwastanne
fatwoistanne
illative
fatwaanne
fatwoihinne
adessive
fatwallanne
fatwoillanne
ablative
fatwaltanne
fatwoiltanne
allative
fatwallenne
fatwoillenne
essive
fatwananne
fatwoinanne
translative
fatwaksenne
fatwoiksenne
abessive
fatwattanne
fatwoittanne
instructive
comitative
—fatwoinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
fatwansa
fatwansa
accusative
nom.
fatwansa
fatwansa
gen.
fatwansa
genitive
fatwansa
fatwojensa fatwainsa $^{rare}$
partitive
fatwaansa
fatwojaan fatwojansa
inessive
fatwassaan fatwassansa
fatwoissaan fatwoissansa
elative
fatwastaan fatwastansa
fatwoistaan fatwoistansa
illative
fatwaansa
fatwoihinsa
adessive
fatwallaan fatwallansa
fatwoillaan fatwoillansa
ablative
fatwaltaan fatwaltansa
fatwoiltaan fatwoiltansa
allative
fatwalleen fatwallensa
fatwoilleen fatwoillensa
essive
fatwanaan fatwanansa
fatwoinaan fatwoinansa
translative
fatwakseen fatwaksensa
fatwoikseen fatwoiksensa
abessive
fatwattaan fatwattansa
fatwoittaan fatwoittansa
instructive
comitative
—fatwoineen fatwoinensa :

## French
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /fa.twa/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -a

### Noun

fatwa f (plural fatwas)
* (Islam) fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)

#### Related terms

* mufti

## Indonesian
### Alternative forms

* petuah

### Etymology

From Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”). Doublet of petuah.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈfat.wa/

### Noun

fatwa (plural fatwa-fatwa)
* fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)
    Synonym: petuah
* (figurative) advice from elder or pious people

#### Related terms

* berfatwa
* memfatwakan
* mufti

### Further reading

* “fatwa” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Italian
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈfa.twa/
* Rhymes: -atwa

### Noun

fatwa f (invariable)
* (Islam) fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)

#### Related terms

* muftì

## Malay
### Etymology

From Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā, “formal legal opinion”), the verbal noun of أَفْتَى (ʔaftā, “to deliver a formal opinion”). Doublet of petua.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈfat.wa/

### Noun

fatwa (Jawi spelling فتوى, plural fatwa-fatwa, informal 1st possessive fatwaku, 2nd possessive fatwamu, 3rd possessive fatwanya)
* (Islam) fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)

#### Related terms

* memfatwakan
* mufti

### Further reading

* “fatwa” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic فَتْوَى (fatwā).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈfa.tfa/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -atfa
* Syllabification: fa‧twa

### Noun

fatwa f
* (Islam) fatwa (legal opinion issued by a mufti)

#### Related terms

* mufti

### Further reading

* fatwa in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* fatwa in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈfa.tu.ɐ/ [ˈfa.tʊ.ɐ], (faster pronunciation) /ˈfa.twɐ/
* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈfa.tu.ɐ/ [ˈfa.tʊ.ɐ], (faster pronunciation) /ˈfa.twɐ/
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /ˈfa.tu.a/ [ˈfa.tʊ.a], (faster pronunciation) /ˈfa.twa/
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈfa.twɐ/

### Noun

fatwa f (plural fatwas)
* Alternative form of fátua

## Spanish
### Noun

fatwa f (plural fatwas)
* Alternative spelling of fatua