What is fatwa? Will Muslims target Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu after Shiite clergy's decree? Salman Rushdie was stabbed after fatwa...

Will the Islamists living across the world target US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and try to kill him? Is it now the duty of every devout Muslim to target them after Iran's top Shiite cleric issued a 'fatwa' or religious decree against them? What is a 'fatwa' and how does it work? Does a 'fatwa' carry any significance in the modern world and do the Muslims take it seriously? Or is it a symbolic gesture and a ploy to galvanise the support of all Muslims by a frustrated Shiite regime that became immensely unpopular much before the present crisis unfolded?

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi issues fatwa

These questions arose after Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi urged Muslims across the world to unite and bring down the US and Israeli leaders for threatening the Islamic Republic leadership. According to Mehr News Agency, he said, "Any person or regime that threatens the Leader or Marja (May God forbid) is considered a 'warlord' or a 'mohareb'. A mohareb is someone who wages war against God. Those identified as mohareb can face execution, crucifixion, limb amputation, or exile under Iranian laws. 

(Naser Makarem Shirazi, Grand Ayatollah, Iran)

What is a fatwa?

A fatwa is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law or sharia, issued by a qualified Islamic jurist in response to a question posed by a private individual, judge, or government. The jurist, who issues fatwas is called a "mufti", and the act of issuing fatwas is called "ifta". It has its origin in the Quran. It began with the Quranic text instructing prophet Muhammad on how to respond to questions from his followers regarding religious and social practices. 

How did fatwa begin?

According to the Islamic doctrine, God ceased to communicate with mankind through revelation and prophets after the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632. When the Muslims approached Muhammad's Companions  for religious guidance, some of them issued pronouncements on a wide range of subjects. The companions of Muhammad were later replaced with top clerics, and the concept of fatwa developed under a question-and-answer format. It was for communicating religious knowledge to the masses. Later on, It took on its definitive form with the development of the classical theory of Islamic law.

Is it mandatory for Muslims to implement fatwa?

A fatwa is nonbinding and Muslims are not obliged to act accordingly unless issued by a government judge in an Islamic state. However,  a court decision is binding and enforceable. A fatwa has far-reaching consequences as while the authority of a court judgment applies only to the specific court case, a fatwa applies to all cases that fit the premises of the query. 

(Salman Rushdie, British Writer)

Fatwa in Shia Islam

Fatwa in Shia Islam took a path different from Sunni Islam. The independent Islamic jurists or "mujtahids" claimed the authority to represent the hidden imam during Safavid rule in Iran. According to Shia doctrine, every Muslim is supposed to choose and follow a high-ranking living mujtahid bearing the title of "marja al-taqlid", whose fatwas are considered binding, unlike fatwas in Sunni Islam. 

Fatwa against Salman Rushdie

The then Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, on February 14, 1989, ordering Muslims to kill Salman Rushdie, after his book 'The Satanic Verses' was published. The British writer of Indian origin was stabbed in the neck and abdomen when he was set to give a lecture in Chautauqua, New York, on August 12, 2022. 

What may happen to Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu?