What Is Fatwa Meaning In Islam: The Satanic Verses? Here's What We Know

May 2024 · 4 minute read

Controversial author Salman Rushdie was attacked on stage at an event in New York on 12 August, after which public interest in the term fatwa has been rising. Many on the internet search for the meaning of the term used extensively in Islam. 

Salman Rushdie is a novelist born on 19 June 1947, in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. His works have been met with mixed responses as they contain criticisms from the Muslim community and praises from the other communities for their depiction of things in general.

He is known for his books such as Grimus, Midnight's Children, Shame, The Moor's Last Sigh, Fury, Shalimar the Clown, and The Enchantress of Florence, Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights, The Golden House, and Quichotte.

Quick Facts About Salman Rushdie

Full NameAhmed Salman Rushdie
Date of Birth19 June 1947
Place of BirthBombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom, United States
OccupationWriter, Professor
Spouse Clarissa Luard ​ ​(1976-1987), Marianne Wiggins ​(1988-1993),​ Elizabeth West ​(1997-2004),​ Padma Lakshmi ​ ​(2004-2007)
ChildrenTwo

Fatwa Meaning In Islam: The Satanic Verses?

Fatwa is defined as a ruling on the point of Islamic law by a recognized authority. It has been. After his release of "The Satanic Verses," Salman Rushdie was accused of blasphemy, and a fatwa ordering to kill him was issued. 

It is a legal ruling on the point of Islamic law given by a qualified jurist in response to a private individual, judge, or government. Jurist issues it called a mufti, and the act of issuing is iftāʾ. Throughout Islamic history, fatwas have played a significant role, taking on new forms in the modern era.

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In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran issued a fatwa ordering Muslims to kill the controversial author, resulting in numerous killings, attempted killings, and bombings.

The Iranian government passed the fatwa against Rushdie as they accused him of unbelief until 1998. The successive government, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, said it no longer supported the killing of Rushdie. Nevertheless, the fatwa against the Indian-born novelist remains in place to this day. 

Salman Rushdie Controversy Line In The Satanic Verse

Following the release of his book, the title "The Satanic Verse" immediately sparked a vigorous protest against it. The title referred to a legend of the Islamic Prophet Mohammad when a few verses were withdrawn because the devil had sent them to deceive Mohammad into thinking they came from God.

These verses are said to have been revealed between verses twenty and twenty-one in surah An-Najim of the Qur'an and appear in other accounts of the prophet's life. 

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Many Muslims found the book incredibly sacrilegious and implied that the book's author claimed that verses of the Qur'an were "the work of the Devil."

After the fatwa ruling in 1989, Iranian officials offered a bounty of $6 million for killing Rushdie. This forced him to live under police protection for several years, and the incident led to the UK and Iran breaking their diplomatic relation.

Related Topic: Salman Rushdie's 2022 Net Worth Is More Than $15 Million, How Rich Is He?

Salman Rushdie Stabbed In New York

On 12 August 2022, while about to start a lecture at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, Salman Rushdie was stabbed by a man who rushed to the stage. He reportedly stabbed the author several times on his neck.

The attacker has been apprehended and is currently in custody. Rushdie had to be airlifted to a hospital, fighting for his life. His health is in dire condition.

You can kill us but you cannot kill the idea of writing & fighting for our dignity.
I condemn the barbaric attack on Salman Rushdie.
After surviving a kidnapping and an assassination plot in New York, I won’t feel safe on US soil until the US take strong action against terror. pic.twitter.com/AGEwlxWFxQ

— Masih Alinejad 🏳️ (@AlinejadMasih) August 12, 2022

The New York Times reported that this incident sent "ripples of 'shock and horror' through the literary world." In addition, people highly criticized the lack of proper security.

More About Salman Rushdie: What Happened To Author Salman Rushdie? His Writing Led To Death Threats From Iran

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