What is a fatwa?
A fatwa is an Islamic religious ruling, a scholarly opinion on a matter of Islamic law. It is not binding on the faithful. The people who pronounce these rulings are supposed to be knowledgeable, and base their rulings in knowledge and wisdom. They need to supply the evidence from Islamic sources for their opinions, and it is not uncommon for scholars to come to different conclusions regarding the same issue, or for one scholar to alter his or her conclusions based on additional evidence or changed circumstances. In order to decide whether to follow the fatwa, Muslims look at the opinion, the reputation of the person giving it and the evidence given to support the opinion.
