Fatwa

Fatwa, legal opinion issued by a mufti (Muslim scholar) in response to a layman's question on a point of Islamic law. For his opinion to be valid, the mufti must be an acknowledged mujtahid—that is, a jurist qualified to attempt a reasoned or deduced solution for unprecedented legal problems. For Sunni Muslims (Sunni Islam), a mufti's opinion is not legally binding unless jurors have reached a consensus on it. The petitioner therefore has the right to ask other muftis for their opinions on the same legal problem. This was until the 19th century also true among Shia Muslims (Shia Islam). Today, however, fatwas of Shia jurists are binding on anyone of lesser status.