An official ruling or interpretation of Islamic law given by an Islamic scholar or jurist in response to a question.
From Arabic 'fatwa,' derived from 'afta' meaning to rule. The word entered English through Ottoman Turkish and became commonly used in English after the 1980s, particularly in news contexts.
The word 'fetwa' became dramatically famous in 1989 with Salman Rushdie's situation, introducing English speakers to an ancient Islamic legal system overnight—but fatwas are usually straightforward guidance for daily life, not dramatic rulings!
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